


Equal Exchange

by childishillusions, Crexendo



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Arranged Marriage, Co-Written, Forced Treaty, Kingdoms, M/M, Zanpakuto are dragons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-26
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2017-12-13 00:49:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/818013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/childishillusions/pseuds/childishillusions, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crexendo/pseuds/Crexendo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurosaki Ichigo, Crown Prince of the small Kingdom of Karakura, known for its healers and expert metal-working, has been betrothed to Aizen Sousuke, High King of Hueco Mundo, since before he was born. The arrangement was made through blackmail and intimidation by the Lord of Las Noches himself, though no one can figure out why. The time for Ichigo to fulfill his duty as Crown Prince is almost at hand, and the secret of his betrothal slips out, and people begin to make sense of their prince’s increasingly odd behavior over the years. He dreads the day he will be forced to leave his home and his loved ones behind, all but his dragon, Tensa Zangetsu, to wed the very man who threatened to destroy them. - Betrayal, romance, dragons, oh my!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wedding Plans and Secret Plots

**Author's Note:**

> Another story co-written with one of my bestest friends. This one has well over twenty-thousand words in it, so expect chapters rather quickly. In this story, all the Zanpakuto are dragons, bonded with their human partners. In most cases, there's only one dragon, but in a few cases, a person can/is bonded to two of them. Each dragon also has an alternate title that they go/are known by, such as Kyouka Suigetsu is known as the Mist Queen, and Zangetsu is the Moon Fang. Quincy, instead of having dragons, have huge white wolves given to them as pups when they turn seven, by tradition. Anywho! I hope you enjoy this story!

**_Fifteen and a half years ago_ **

_"Unless you have something of value to offer me, Kurosaki-san, I will not back down. I shall declare war on you and your country." Aizen Sousuke, High King of Hueco Mundo murmured silkily, dark brown eyes regarding the dusky haired man before him, a light smirk on his face, "Do you think that your Engetsu would be able to engage my Kyouka Suigetsu on the field of battle?" Aizen had decided to push the smaller nation's leader, to see what he could gain from the other._

_It was a threat, and both of them knew it. Aizen demanding a meeting near the border of the two kingdoms, instructing him to come alone, with not even Engetsu, he should have known it would be something like this. He should have seen Aizen’s ambition a long time ago. But he’d ignored it, and now, unless he was careful, he would lose everything he’d worked so hard to protect._

_Isshin swallowed, mentally cursing himself, but for the sake of his kingdom he responded, "We will ensure that most of our trade is with Hueco Mundo, and that our military forces will . . . train and become more integrated with your own." He had wanted to keep Karakura's autonomy and neutrality intact, but apparently, that wouldn't happen. He had known that sooner or later he would be forced into such a position by either more powerful country, if not right out invaded and forcibly taken over. His people were fierce and strong, but much fewer in numbers. And the dreaded Mist Queen, rumored to be one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, dragon in all the land, had chosen Aizen Sousuke to bond with, causing the brunette to become nearly invincible._

_"That is a good start. But I will require something of a . . . personal value, something very dear to you in order to ensure that our treaty remains sound." Sousuke purred, dark eyes gleaming as he watched the older man squirm._

_". . . Masaki is due to give birth any day now. If . . . If we arrange a marriage between my first born child and one of your noble's children, would that work?" Isshin offered, cringing internally and miserable. When the younger man shook his head and stated that the child would be marrying him, Isshin despaired. He had been utterly ecstatic when he had first heard that Masaki had been pregnant, and so excited to become a father. He adored children and was very much looking forwards to teaching his child (or children as the case may be), all he could. After Isshin had calmed down, he had acknowledged the fact that none of his children were likely to marry, at least initially, for love. No one in their station usually had, not without some sort of divine intervention, it seemed._

_His own marriage to his beautiful Masaki had been arranged between his father and the head of the then wandering clan of extremely powerful archers, Juha Bach. Their relationship had been awkwardly polite at first, but as the two had talked and gotten used to one another, they had fallen in love. That had been a rather long time ago, and now the cycle was starting again. With his eldest child and Aizen Sousuke. One of the most feared leaders on the continent. He was ruthless, devastatingly intelligent, had no small amount of power on his own, in addition to the immensely powerful and illusionary capable she-drake._

_The two of them talked about just what trade and good his people would be solely trading with Hueco Mundo, as well as the timeline in order for such things to happen. Aizen had been 'generous' enough to allow them five years time to switch over to what was outlined in the treaty. If Karakura lagged in their switching over and the five years was up, Aizen would send soldiers to . . . enforce the treaty to his desire and if it took more than seven . . . Ichigo would be taken from him and his wife. If it took over ten years, the brunette would order his armies to march on Karakura, and kill or incapacitate any who resisted them. As per the treaty, a combined force from both Karakura and Hueco Mundo would patrol the smaller nation's borders, on the Seireitei side, in Karakura armor. At around fifteen to sixteen Isshin's oldest child would marry Aizen, in Karakura and leave for Hueco Mundo, only to return when his or her husband allowed them to._

**Present Day**

"What I don't understand is why someone as rough and uncouth as you, participate, no, instigate and conduct something as refined as a formal tea ceremony, and why you insist on making the tea, as well as the food we eat." Ishida murmured as he lightly sipped from the exquisitely prepared cup of tea that he had been given by the orangette "Never mind the fact that you've done them since you were ten."

" . . . Is there something wrong in the tea or one of the foods I prepare?" Ichigo asked, an unexpected, and uncharacteristic question. His light brown eyes full of worry as he started fussing a little with the pot.

"No, it's all beautifully prepared and the way you present it all is pristine. I just don't understand why you do it. I didn't think you liked such things as this." Uryuu responded, narrowing his eyes slightly. Every time the Quincy had thought he had figured out his friend, the orangette would do something unexpected that would throw the young archer off-balance. Additionally Ichigo would occasionally have these bouts of terrible indecision and near hysteria. Other times he would grow listless and almost . . . subservient. Or very angry and bitter towards everyone, though that hadn't happened since the prince had turned eleven. His behavior was unexplainable, as he had no idea what could be causing his friend such distress.

"I'm getting married. And he likes tea and these foods I make with the specific teas, as well as most of the other stuff that I cook and I need to make sure that these things are perfect or-" Ichigo blurted out suddenly, but was cut off by the ravenette's stunned splutter.

"Married?!” Wait, that didn’t make any sense. Since when had Ichigo been betrothed? “Wh-when? Who? How long have you known this person?!” But . . . if this was the cause behind his odd behavior for the past few years . . . that meant this engagement couldn’t be a new thing. It had obviously just been kept quiet, but if he thought about it . . . the explanation actually did make a lot of sense, which really only pissed him off. “Ichigo, when were you going to tell me and the others, dammit!?" Uryuu spluttered, dark eyes widening in surprise.

"I've met him less than a handful of times over my lifetime.” Ichigo murmured in reply, “Aizen Sousuke.”

The blue-haired archer, a distant relative of his mother, as well, shuddered at the name. 

“ It was for a treaty to ensure that he wouldn't slaughter us all, before I was born. I've been engaged to him my entire life. I just didn't know how to tell you guys, and besides, Dad said it would be better if I didn’t talk about it too much, and I . . . I didn't want you guys to worry about me . . . " The exotically colored teen responded quietly, light brown eyes cast downwards.

Uryuu was nearly incandescent with rage. His friend was being married off, who knew when, to a despotic monster for the sake of safety. And he knew that he would never be able to talk his friend out of going through with the wedding and marriage to that horrible monster as he was both too noble and too damn self-sacrificial for his own good. Ichigo would rather be forced into such a union to a man who would likely take pleasure in doing all sorts of terrible things to his innocent and rather gentle-in-his-own-way friend. And the dumbass would allow it, despite the fact that he was one of Karakura's best fighters, and Zangetsu, the black and red dragon that he had bonded to, were both quite powerful, in order to protect them all. "Do you know the date of the . . . event?"

Ichigo shook his head, "The treaty says we have to marry when I'm between the ages of fifteen and sixteen. No younger than fourteen and a half and no older sixteen and a quarter, unless there is war, or one of us died. Then either Yuzu or Karin would marry him when their between those ages."

"Have you been fitted for your ceremonial clothes?" The teenage archer asked, mind already spinning on the clothes that he could design for his friend for such an occasion, as well as the clothing that Ichigo would surely be allowed to keep. He had already decided to ensure that there would be special 'gifts' that only the orangette would be able to find in those clothes, making a mental note to talk to Sado and Orihime about getting said items, as well as about this farce of a marriage that their friend was being forced into.

"No, they're being sent over when . . . When my h-husband arrives." The carrot-top responded, voice just a little bit shaky as he, for the umpteenth time, contemplated what it was going to be like to be married to the older man. The best that Ichigo hoped for was that Aizen would find him boring, and that if he could keep up the mask he used while in court, a polite, calm and mainly tranquil young man, he prayed that the elder would lose interest, if the brunette held any for him. Ichigo would play the part of dutiful little wife, wanting to fade into the background. Then he might be able to find some peace and happiness, if only a little in the rumored to be barren and desolate lands that the capital of Hueco Mundo, Las Noches, was reported to be.

"Are you allowed to keep anything?" Uryuu asked, mind spinning wildly.

"A small book of portraits of my family and closest friends. Anything else has to be . . . approved. He will be staying for a few weeks, in order to oversee the final stages of the wedding's preparation, as well as to give both of us a . . . a bit of a chance to get to know one another, I suppose." the orangette responded, more than a touch miserably. Ichigo had heard the rumors, and . . . . 

Damnation. Perhaps if he were able to see what got approved and tinker with it a little after it had been cleared. Uryuu was fairly confident in his covert abilities, and intimate knowledge of the palace he lived in. And Orihime was always happy to provide her friends with a small . . . distraction on the other side of the palace in order for them to sneak about and do quick, necessary things that required eyes to be elsewhere. While Ichigo was probably going to play pretty little wife, hoping to not catch the brunette's eyes. He was sure that Grimmjow would be delighted to help. He always enjoyed a bit of mayhem. "I see. Well, have you told the others, or am I the first?"

"Of my friends? Yeah, you're the first to know." Ichigo responded truthfully. "I'm gonna tell Sado and Orihime later today . . . and I really am gonna need all three of your guys' help for what Grimmjow's response will be." The blue haired man was a very . . . terrifying force of nature that had blown into their lives a few years ago. His past was as mysterious as his hair was blue, but he had beaten the shit out of Ichigo the first time the two had sparred, and had gained the group's respect because of it.

Speaking of Grimmjow . . . where was he?

=-=-=-

"So, Grimmjow, what is my wife-to-be like?" Aizen asked as he looked at his Sexta, rather curiously. He had sent the bluenette to the main palace of Karakura in order to gauge his intended's reaction to the more . . . obstreperous members of his retinue.

"It depends. What he's likely to show you, or what he's really like?" Grimmjow responded, "Ya see, he has this defense mechanism around nobles and the like. He's perfectly calm and sweet and demure around them, and where he thinks they or one of their people might see or hear him. In private, he's a bit of a firecracker. Feisty, a bit mouthy, a damn good fighter, and he likes to read poetry, hang out with his little sisters and his friends and . . . cook, but I'm not sure if the cooking is something he actually likes to do, or something that he decided to learn while in a fit of spazzing out about getting married to you. I don't know what he thinks about marrying ya, but I suspect I'm gonna find out soon. He's . . . friendly, if nothing else."

"I see. Well, I won't keep you from them any longer, please do tell me what Ichigo thinks of me. It would be good to know if he will attack me or try to kill himself once we got back to Las Noches beforehand so that I may prepare for either eventuality. Or something somewhere in between." Aizen responded silkily. They both knew it was an order, veiled thinly behind a request. "Does he know who you are?"

"No, he doesn't. None of them do and I keep away from those who do. I don't know how he's going to respond." 

After finishing his report, and having been given permission to leave, the blue haired man left the clearing, setting off at a dead run to where he guessed the berry-headed teen was likely to be. At least he would be able to get back home to his beloved Ulquiorra soon. Even if Ichigo was likely to hate him for a long time, if not for the rest of one or both of their lives. Pantera blew smoke out of her nostrils at him, causing the lithe man to hack and cough, trying to get her bonded human to stop sulking.

 _‘Dammit, Pantera, was that necessary?!’_ he snapped at her over their mind-link, still wheezing to clear the fumes from his lungs. Pantera was too pleased with herself to be chastised. _‘Yes, it was. You knew this was coming, so buck up and be a man. You know what your job is.’_ She answered dryly, though she was still vaguely amused. _‘I do, and I sure as hell don’t need you of all people to remind me!’_ the blue haired man growled. _‘Good, now get on, it’s hard for me to run through these trees.’_

Rolling his eyes, but not pausing in his rapid strides, he jumped and his lithe white, black and pale blue dragon darted underneath him, already spreading her wings. He landed on the joint between her neck and shoulders, twining his hands in her long, silky blueish mane, having left the riding harness back at Karakura palace. The she-drake pushed off the ground with powerful hind legs and rose up above the trees.

_‘For some reason, I have a feeling something interesting is going to happen when we get back.’_


	2. Emotional Breakdowns and Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you're enjoying it so far. Toushiro gets introduced in this chapter, and he is NOT a happy camper. Lol. Anyways, read and enjoy!

“ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .”

They were all staring at him, as if they were waiting for a ticking time bomb to go off. For a heart-stopping moment, Grimmjow believed that they had found out that he was one of Aizen's Espada, and had just come back from talking about Ichigo to said brunette, who was curious about his bride-to-be. "Umm . . . Grimmjow, could you sit down please?" Ichigo asked weakly, not quite looking at the bluenette.

" . . . Sure, what's going on?" Grimmjow asked uncertainly.

"I am getting married to Aizen Sousuke . . . sometime in the next nine months.” 

_‘Seriously? He picks now, right after I get back from Aizen-sama telling me to figure out what he thinks of this whole marriage thing, to tell me what he thinks about it? The irony is uncanny . . . .’_

“I'm . . . I'm terrified Grimm, I really am. I've heard about his reputation, and while I hope that at least some of it is unsubstantiated rumors, from the way my dad talks about Aizen, and the choke-hold of a treaty he has us in . . . I don't think that they are. I just hope I don't catch his attention very much." the prince responded quietly, trying not to hyperventilate. Calm, he had to stay calm; Dad would be so pissed if Zangetsu destroyed a wing of the palace again because he had a panic attack about who he was marrying. Again. 

Outwardly, the bluenette did his best to appear surprised, internally though, Grimmjow sighed with relief. His cover, if it could be called that, had not been blown. Not yet, anyways. He knew they were expecting him to be angry . . . but honestly, he really wasn't. This is what he'd been waiting for. This marriage was the event that had to take place before he could return to his beloved Ulquiorra, and Pantera, his bitchy-but-lovable dragon, could return to her jet black and emerald green mate, Murcielago. This was going to be tricky. He could already tell by the way Zangetsu was twitching and switching his tail back and forth restlessly that Ichigo was on the verge of going into hysterics. 

"First of all, Ichi, chill out. Getting worked up about it right now isn't going to help anyone, least of all you." he said in a low, serious, voice. "Second of all, I . . . really don't think it's going to be as bad as you think it is."

The four of Karakura glared at him with scandalized, almost betrayed looks when his reaction failed to meet expectations, even though Inoue looked as if she were about to cry, and Ichigo's was only half-hearted.

"And why the hell do you think that?!" Uryuu snapped, obviously the most fired up about this whole thing. 

Grimmjow resisted the urge to throw a punch in the archer's direction, and yell at him for being stupid and that Aizen-sama wasn't really like what all the rumors said, at least to people he liked. But that would be counterproductive, so he sufficed with letting out a sigh. "Because, I've been in Hueco Mundo before. Aizen's only threatening and dangerous to his enemies. Those he sees as threats. Most of the people there think he's some sort of god. They adore him. And from the . . . few times I've been there, he's doing good for Hueco Mundo. He thinks ahead. Ya can't blame him for that. Hell, he might have had this whole marriage idea in his mind long before you were even born, Ichi. The man's a genius, that's for sure. But he's not as bad as the rest of the world makes him out to be, at least from what I've seen." he said, attempting to make his king look good, while still maintaining his secret that he was actually one of Aizen's Espada.

"But do you truly know what he's like, have you ever met him in person?!"

The blue-haired man glanced back at his dragon, and she gave him a flat blue stare. _'Well? What are you going to do?'_ she said through their mental-link. _'Hell if I know. I can't very well tell them that Aizen-sama sent me here to basically spy on Ichigo. Ichi-brat would kill me, or never talk to me again. And Sado, Inoue, and the idiot archer would completely overreact.'_ he thought back sullenly. _'Well, whither you tell him or not, he's going to find out eventually, so you should just make up your mind and do something. I like it here, but I want to go home. I want to see Murcielago again, just as much as you want to see Ulqui-chan.'_ It made Grimmjow want to smile that his dragon was so affectionate towards his lover, but to smile right now would be . . . suspicious. 

"No, I haven't," he lied, "But I got close enough. Trust me, Ichigo, if you're trying to escape his notice, that'll only make him more interested in knowing what you're really like."

~

"Good boy, Shinso~" Gin purred, scratching the corners of his slim silver drake's jaw, exactly where he liked. 

"You baby that dragon far too much, Gin." Aizen chuckled as he entered the large, but almost empty throne room of the fortress near the Karakura/Hueco Mundo boarder, having just returned from his rendezvous with Grimmjow, his beautiful pale green, black and silver dragon trailing behind him.

"Can't 'elp it. Shinso is just soooo demandin' sometimes. _'Pet me'_ , _'scratch me'_ , _'feed me somethin', Gin, I'm 'ungry.'_. And ya indulge Kyouka Suigetsu too much, if ya ask me. Ya practically made 'er queen along with ya." Gin replied with a grin, laughing softly at a noise of indignation that came from the she-drake.

"Well, she is the Mist _Queen_. And I must admit, I am quite attached to her. I find it hard to deny her anything she desires." the dark-haired king replied, running a hand over the silk smooth scales of his partner, to soothe her. "Though I have yet to find what she wants the most . . . ."

"An' what might dat be?"

"A suitable mate." Aizen replied, going over to sit in his throne, while Kyouka Suigetsu took her customary spot, curled around the white stone chair, her head resting near her bond-mate's feet, faint trindles of smoke rising from her nostrils. 

"Well, can't say I'm s'prised. She's gotta be da pickiest dragon I've ever seen. She even rejected mah Shinso!" 

Kyouka Suigetsu let out a low growl, and Aizen laughed a bit, "She says he's too small to make a good mate for her. Plus he likes to tease too much for her tastes."

The silver haired man shrugged, "Dat may be true, but there ain't no one, not even our dear Mist Queen, 'ho can match mah Shinso fer speed.’E's da fastest dere is, bar none."

"My bride-to-be's dragon may be able to prove you wrong there, Gin." Aizen challenged, dark eyes flickering with amusement.

“Nu-uh. Dere’s no way.”

“The Moon Fang, Zangetsu, is much younger than your Quicksilver, Shinso, Gin. Who knows when his full potential will be reached."

~

One silver haired male was storming over to his pale green and white, partially ice-covered dragon, cursing vehemently under his breath, teal eyes blazing in indignation and rage. He really despised the fact that he was going to be carted off and married to Ichimaru Gin, one of the top generals of Aizen's retinue in order to strengthen the tentative peace between Seireitei and Hueco Mundo. 

The news had come quite suddenly, without much warning. There had been rumors of a wedding to seal the treaty, but never, in a thousand years, had the young general expected to be the one chosen to carry it out. Emperor Yamamoto had called him in and told him that Ichimaru, who had been negotiating the treaty at Aizen’s side, had chosen him as his bride, him specifically, even though other potential brides had been presented to him. The marriage itself was advantageous for Toushiro in terms of position and power, and his family line, but that didn’t mean that he was happy about it. The last thing he’d ever wanted was to be married, against his will, and to an enemy general, one whom he’d never heard anything good about, at that. 

With the surprising reversal of Karakura's policies towards Hueco Mundo, feeding the other larger kingdom with its unique foods and exceptionally crafted arms and armor, the need for a treaty with the opposite nation was necessary to prevent war. Karakuran medical supplies were legendary, and the fact that they only traded those goods with Hueco Mundo nowadays, made Aizen’s kingdom that much more of a threat.

Hyourinmaru nuzzled his young master's hair. He was one of the oldest dragons in existence and he had decided to bond with the young silvered haired male as the ancient dragon had liked the younger being's temperament. Toshiro would marry the asshat that he was being forced into union with, but . . . he was terrified. He had heard the rumors and had met the elder silverette a handful of times and each one made him more and more certain that he was going to be miserable until Ichimaru drove him crazy. _'I have met young Shinso. He is very playful, but not cruel unless provoked. He would not choose someone who would senselessly torment someone. Of course things may have changed, as I haven't seen him in several hundred years.'_

 _'Thanks Hyourinmaru. But I've seen the results of his campaigns and rumors don't usually start from nothing.'_ Toushiro responded a wry smile on his face _'And even if he's not too bad, what about the rest of the Espada and . . . A . . . Aizen?'_ Like most of his generation, the silver haired teenager was utterly terrified of the powerful brunette, and the brilliant young tactician wondered if the King of Hueco Mundo had done something to the royal family of Karakura, or threatened something terrible, in order to have the much weaker nation's trade to be so slanted in Hueco Mundo's favor. Toushiro wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.

"Shiro-chan, where are you going?" Momo asked curiously, looking at her younger brother in concern. He had been very withdrawn in the past few months, since the announcement of his marriage, as laid out in the tentative treaty between the two supernations, and hadn't been squabbling as much with Rangiku, his lieutenant for the past few weeks. It was cause for concern for both females, as it usually meant that he was thinking of doing something catastrophic.

"I'm going to be married to Ichimaru Gin in less than a year, Nee-chan. For the treaty that Yamamoto-heika had signed with Las Noches." Toushiro responded, avoided mentioning the name of the man that had nearly killed his older sister in a 'spar' a few years ago. She had mostly recovered, but the silverette would never forgive Aizen for harming his older sister in such a way.

"I hope that you find happiness Shiro-chan." Momo responded, though her hands trembled and her eyes filled with tears. General Ichimaru always gave her the screaming heebie-jeebies and with her precious baby brother imminently going to live near . . . that man, it was truly horrible. But she wished her otouto all the luck and happiness he could find in that barren, cold land that he was soon to be living in.

=-=-=-

"Karakura was a fucking threat to him and his people, Grimmjow! In the past, we had a massive military force that has been known to level cities and crush entire countries under our heels in a matter of hours. My father's Engetsu could level a hundred square miles worth of people and animals in an attack that turns them into obedient mind-slaves who live to serve us and our people. Is that why he fucking threatened to raze my whole country and kill or sell into slavery every Karakuran his army could lay their hands on, while burning our beautiful country to the god-damned ground?" Ichigo shouted, tears streaming down his face as he started truly saying on just how he felt about the man he would soon be marrying "How that my sisters would-would . . . ' He trailed off, burying his hands in his face as he sobbed into his hands, out of anger, fear, and hopeless frustration. 

Zangetsu's jet-black tail wrapped around his bonded human and gently drew the teenager between his forepaws, nuzzling and comforting his distraught bonded partner, extending one red dotted wing to hide his miserable bonded. _'If you like, as soon as we get to Las Noches, I can take you far from there. The terms of the treaty would be complete, and as long as we stay in Hueco Mundo's borders, the opposite side cannot renege on their side of the treaty. And I have yet to meet a dragon that can match me for speed, much less surpass me.'_

 _'Thank you, Zan. I might just take you up on your offer; it depends on the way I get along with . . . him in the weeks before my marriage, and how confident you feel around the Mist Queen.'_ The orangette responded, nuzzling into the black and red dragon's chest. He had known Zangetsu all of his life, and the wise dragon had always been content to support and help Ichigo in whatever the teen decided to do.

"Ichigo . . . Are you going to be coming out any time soon?" Grimmjow called out uncertainly. He had suddenly remembered something that the teen had been doing, for what reason exactly the bluenette hadn't a clue. But he had remembered that he had forgotten to tell Aizen-sama about the fact that the teen knew, from memory, all of the brunette's favorite foods, what to avoid, and how to prepare both food and drink in the style of Hueco Mundo perfectly. When he had first found that out, he had been hopeful that the teen might have had a bit of a crush on Aizen, as the brunette had many admirable traits, and was physically pleasing. But Ichigo had given no indication until today . . . He imagined that Aizen-sama would be far from pleased to find out that, from the screaming fit that had dissolved into tears . . . The teenager was utterly terrified of Aizen-sama and didn't expect his life to be pleasant.

"I . . . I'll come out in a bit. And besides, I won't be trying to avoid gaining attention; I would be simply showing them the person that most of the court, as well as the general public know me as. The perfect, docile young prince who would be a lovely little wife. Demure, gentle and obedient." Ichigo responded. After a few minutes Zangetsu retracted his wing, knowing that the teenage human was ready to talk to his friends without tears.

Grimmjow held in a long sigh, and leaned back in his chair. _‘Well, this is going to be a shit-load of fun,’_ he mused to himself, not really caring if his dragon was eavesdropping on his thoughts. _‘Jeez. Ichi-berry’s a lot more emotional about this than I first though. Aizen-sama’s going have his work cut out for him. And me . . . I’m going to have a hell of a time trying to convince Ichi that Aizen-sama’s not evil and cruelty incarnate.’_

_‘Good luck~’_

_‘Shut up, Pantera.’_

=-=-=-

That evening Grimmjow was late for his talk to Aizen-sama, partially because he got drawn into a long conversation with Ichigo and his ridiculous friends about what the brunette would and would not allow Ichigo to keep. They were of the opinion that the elder would allow him almost nothing. Grimmjow was fairly certain that Aizen-sama would allow the orangette to have a few things (weapons not so much, clothes no, as Aizen-sama had a whole wardrobe for the orangette to wear, and what the teen usually wore would have the brunette in a snit for weeks).

"What have you found Grimmjow?" Sousuke asked, a look of concern on his face as he noticed the very pensive expression on his face.

"First off, Ichigo knows how to make all of the foods and drinks you like from memory, perfectly. I mean, he's better at it than your head chef is and has been for years. He's utterly terrified of you, and doesn't seem to think that you're all too nice of a person. I tried to tell them that you're not always like what the rumors say you are without breaking my cover but they don't believe me . . . I have a suspicion of why he learned how to make all of your favorite foods and drinks. He mentioned about being a 'lovely little wife' for you, as his public persona is that of a demure, fairly obedient and quiet prince, and knowing such things would fit into that persona. And it's one of the things he can prepare for the rest of his life. It's something that he can control and . . . He broke down into tears after screaming for a good five minutes about you and a few of our military's abilities." Grimmjow responded truthfully, knowing that Aizen-sama would be less-than-happy about it "He'd likely let you do anything to him without protest, but I'd expect wet pillows in the morning, wherever he is once he joins us. Please . . . Please be careful with Ichigo . . . I do care for him as a friend Aizen-sama and he's . . . I've never seen him so miserable or defeated since I've met him."

"Hnnnnnn. Sounds like yer gonna 'ave yer 'ands full, Ai-sama." Gin said from where he sat atop Shinso, having accompanied Aizen to this particular meeting. "I just 'ope my own bride ain't so . . . two-faced when 'e gets 'ere. I'd rather 'ave 'im straight out an' fiery. It would make things fun."

"You're one to talk, Gin." Aizen murmured, though he was full of thoughts. Grimmjow's plea surprised him, to be sure, and the news that Ichigo knew exactly how to prepare all the things he liked pleased him greatly. He really did care for the orange haired teen; after all, they were going to be married in just a few months. He intended to take excellent care of his bride, thought it didn't really sound like it would really matter what he did. Ichigo seemed determined, in his own way, to be frightened of him, to quietly hate him for taking him away from his family and home, and for threatening the very same. He didn't want a wife that simply bowed to his will all the time. If he had wanted one of those, he could have picked a bride out of the dozens of noblewomen and their daughters in his own kingdom. At this point, he simply wasn't sure what to do, and that left him troubled.

He supposed he should take action sooner rather than later, so as to not let his bride sit there and fester in anguish and misery too long. "Gin. I want you to go to Karakura Palace tomorrow and deliver the message to Kurosaki Isshin, that three months from that day, I will take his son as my bride. I will arrive three weeks before the ceremony, and that I will be bringing all of my Espada to the event. Grimmjow, I trust you know what that means."

The blue haired man nodded, "Hai, Aizen-sama." It meant that he would have to abandon his false persona as a previously wandering warrior, to return to his position as the Sixth General, in Aizen's Espada. But it also meant that he would get to see Ulquiorra, who was the Fourth General, in a little more than two months. The thought made him extremely happy, almost chasing out the reservations he had about Ichigo marrying his king. He was concerned for Ichigo, but from what he'd seen, Aizen was, if nothing else, genuinely interested in the boy, which meant that Ichigo was likely to be, at the very least, well-treated and respected. Though, he was well aware that Aizen was far more likely to be interested in the young prince's true face, the fiery, brave, compassionate Ichigo that didn't take shit from anyone. However, he was a more than a bit nervous about what Ichigo's reaction to finding out that he was one of Aizen's strongest generals and fighters would be. 

Gin smiled, "A'right, I can do dat. Can I swing by Seireitei on mah way 'round? Ya did say I could pick the day mah lil' Shiro-chan an' I exchange vows, and I was thinkin' about a week after ya bring da berry-prince 'ome wif ya. Is dat a'right with ya?"

Aizen considered the proposal for a moment before granting his acquiescence, "That's fine. When we get back tonight, go see Harribel about the preparations for your wedding. She'll handle it, and, if we start now, we'll be able to work around my own wedding. Just don't cause any trouble while you're there. The true we have with them is . . . brittle, at best, at least until after you and young Hitsugaya are sealed together."

"I got ya, I got ya. I'll be a good lil' fox. I promise."

"And Grimmjow, rest assured that I have no intention of harming my bride-to-be. One, there would be little point in doing so, and two; this is a marriage that is going to be unpleasant for him. As his husband, I would like to do everything I can to ease his discomfort. I would like to love him, but I can only do that if he'll let me. There are reasons why I picked him as my bride, other than the fact that he is the Prince of Karakura, despite belief to the contrary. If you could somehow, discreetly of course, try to reassure him, you would have my gratitude. That being said . . . you should be getting back before you're missed." the dark-haired lord added on, his tone softer and slightly more reverent than his 'commanding' voice, though the gleam in his dark eyes was unreadable to anyone, except maybe Gin, who knew him better than anyone else did, and Kyouka Suigetsu, who knew him better than anyone else ever would, being bonded to him and all . . . .

Grimmjow once again nodded, a surge of hope rising up in his chest. He would take his lord's words to heart. If anyone could get through the shields Ichigo put up around himself, it would be Aizen, who was a master of maneuvering around such barriers. Aizen's methods for getting what he wanted weren't always the most benign . . . but they were effective, and always productive. If he wanted the orangette, then the orangette he would get, one way or another.

He went over to where Pantera was lounging around on the ground and climbed up into the riding harness. With a salute towards his king and the top general, he urged Pantera up and into the sky, soaring back towards the night drenched Karakura Palace.


	3. Sincerity and Pastries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ones a bit short, but the next bit covers a rather large amount of time, so this just fit.

Several days later, Grimmjow was participating in a castle-wide search of the orange haired prince. He had known that Ichigo was going to react poorly, and that there was only so much of the teen's fiery nature that he could suppress. No one had the slightest clue where the young prince was, and Zangetsu wouldn't talk to anyone. But the black and red's dragon presence meant that he was either in the castle, or in the immediate surrounding areas, as Zangetsu wouldn't let Ichigo get too far away from him, as was usual for the powerful race. They were highly protective and territorial of the humans they bonded to, and almost always shooed unbonded dragons away from their humans, as though it was possible for more than one dragon to bond to a single human, dragons were not known for sharing that which they treasured dearly. Especially their bonded humans, as it was relatively rare for dragons and humans to bond, as their personalities had to be compatible.

As he wandered in a less populated part of the castle, for whatever reason the undercover general could smell one of the desserts native to Hueco Mundo, a particularly tricky and delicious sweet, that Aizen-sama loved to eat . . . if it was prepared correctly. He followed the scent to where it was most intense, and found the protective berry in there, working hard on making the topping of the treat, the main base of the delicate pasty cooling in the window he was at. Once Ichigo had finished making the topping he called out, "You've caused a hell of a stir. We've been looking everywhere for you, you know. Some thought that you'd bolted." tip-toeing around a topic was not something that the fair-haired general did, but Grimmjow was approaching this in a way that would be least likely to spook the younger male.

"Why the hell would I run? I don't want to be the one to break the treaty. Not now when . . . When things are about to go into full fruition. That would be selfish of me. I've . . . I've just been having difficulties making this one. The outside burns before the inside gets a chance to cook. But I think I've gotten it figured out this time. It's what I've been working on since General Ichimaru talked to my father." Ichigo responded, fairly amicably, despite the words he spoke and the scowl on his face. The elder male did see the slightly charred remains of several other treats "I think I used too much of one of the liquids the other times. Do you think the sauce is supposed to look like this? . . . You might have seen it since you've been to Hueco Mundo before . . . Right?"

“Yes, I've had this particular pastry a couple of times before." And Grimmjow had, Aizen-sama usually shared a little if he found one that fit his exacting standards. The sauce was slightly less runny than most syrup, and a delicate violet color. It looked perfect, and Grimmjow reached a finger over and asked, "May I try a little?” A soft moan escaped him. It was heavenly and nostalgic, sending the native of Hueco Mundo into the past with good memories, along with a sweep of homesickness. "This is utterly delicious and exactly right, Ichigo."

The orangette's tense, irritable aura broke as Ichigo smiled brilliantly at his friend "Thank you so much, Grimmjow!" A thought occurred to the teenager and he fidgeted with the bowl of sauce before turning away from the bluenette to continue washing up the dishes that he had dirtied in the preparation of the desert. After a few minutes of silence, in which Grimmjow was about to state the carefully phrased question he was going to ask Ichigo in order to start to hopefully prod his friend into correcting what he thought of his king, the teenager stated "Mom talked to me yesterday. She freaked out about who she was marrying, too. But she said that she had decided to give my dad a chance, to look past all the rumors and hearsay about the man she was marrying. She was still watchful and cautious, but she was open to try and see what he was actually like, not just . . . not just letting what she had heard about my dad color what she saw of his actions. Mostly. You've . . . have you been to Las Noches? How . . . how is the city run?"

"Well . . . yeah, I have been to Las Noches a couple of times, during my travels through that country. As long as you don't pull stupid shit, the police force leaves you alone, unless they think you're lost or something, in which case an officer asks if you need help. Weapons are allowed in the city, the same as in your guys' capital, but you've gotta check in to the main station if you're a wanderer, like me. So do citizens of the city, if they've left for a while. Just so that they know you have a weapon is all." Grimmjow responded with complete honesty, a faint hope glimmering in his heart that Ichigo might take the implied advice that his mother had given in approaching his upcoming marriage.

The prince nodded, and continued cleaning up the small mess he had created, "I'm not sure what to do with those things." Ichigo stated, changing the topic of conversation back to the deserts, gesturing to the badly created deserts.

"Cut them up and leave the good bits for people to eat, you can chuck the rest or put it in the composting pile you guys have up. I'm sure they're delicious just a bit darker than they should be." Grimmjow responded, allowing the change of topic, not wanting to press Ichigo.

As the pastry finished cooling, the prince had done as the general had suggested and separated out the edible parts from the inedible. Surprisingly, even the first cake had quite a few bits that could be eaten, it was simply the outermost edges that were burnt, and the inner core of the desert that was still uncooked. Ichigo lightly brushed on the toping on the edible parts, putting them up to dry and away from the sticky and eager fingers of the blue haired male who had swiped more than a couple of the bite-sized pieces.

Once the pastry had cooled completely, Ichigo iced the pastry with the rest of the topping, careful to keep all of the sides, as well as the top well and evenly covered. That too was put up, in order to allow the pastry to finish drying, so that the edible decorations could be put on top, and along the base of the sides. " . . . You mentioned that while you hadn't met Aizen, you had been close enough to observe him or something? What exactly do you mean? What did you see?"

Grimmjow hesitated for a few seconds, "I . . . I met someone, who worked in the palace. He showed me around Las Noches, and he even got permission for me to attend court with him, as a guest." It was true, that was how he'd met Ulquiorra, and after having a bout with the dark haired Cuatro, he offered to take him to Las Noches, to be introduced to Aizen, after the High Court got out. Ulquiorra, and later Aizen, had been impressed by his fighting prowess and his ability to analyze battle situations on the fly. Within a few months, he was made into the Sixth General, but it wasn't until later that the green eyed male became his lover. "I saw Aizen then. He was . . . intimidating, but not overpowering. He listened to everything, and always responded to every point. He's . . . incredibly intelligent. A natural leader, and I'd say, born to be a king. He just fits in so easily. But he protects his interests, almost religiously. He's . . . he's the kind of person that would avidly take care of something that's important to him. He's a king, Ichigo, he’s marrying you, of all people, and I don't think he's doing it lightly. Besides, if it helps you to know, my . . . friend in Hueco Mundo told me that Aizen's top General, Ichimaru Gin, also has an arranged marriage with a young general of the Seireitei. He figured that the weddings would take place pretty close together, except Ichimaru's wedding is supposed to be taking place in Las Noches."

As much as he disliked the Seireitei, Ichigo felt a trill of sympathy for the young general. They were more or less in the same boat here. But . . . he still wasn't sure that he really believed what Grimmjow was saying about Aizen. He did believe his mom. At the very least . . . he should give the rival king a chance. 

~

"Ne, ne, Ulqui~ Shiro-chan is sooooooo cute! 'E wouldn' come out ta see me when I went ta give the announcement~ Dey said 'e was sulkin' in his room. 'e's gonna be a fiery one, I'm pretty excited~" Gin purred, looking incredibly pleased with himself. 

Ulquiorra resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "That's . . . nice, Ichimaru-sama. But wouldn't it be better if you tried to calm him down instead of purposely trying to rile him up?" he murmured.

"But where's da fun in dat?"

Ulquiorra sighed, and decided not to press the issue. Murcielago let out a little huff and ruffled his partner's hair with his muzzle, echoing the strain of loneliness that the dark-haired man felt. He missed his beloved, fiery Pantera, just as much as his partner longed for his fierce and protective lover, Grimmjow. _'Just a little longer, dear one. Just a few more weeks.'_ Ulquiorra pressed a hand to his dragon's cheek, _'I know . . . I know. I just . . . I just miss him.'_ He murmured back through their mental link, not pointedly ignoring Gin, who was rambling off about everything he thought was cute about his bride-to-be, once again.

A white uniformed servant entered the room just then, “Cifer-sama, Harribel-sama requests your presence in the morning room. I believe it has to do with Ichimaru-sama’s wedding.” He said, bowing low. 

Ulquiorra nodded, and rose to his feet, as his dragon did beside him. “I shall be there shortly, there are a few matters of urgency that I must look into first.”

The servant bowed again, and left. 

Ulquiorra Cifer, Fourth General of the Espada, Aizen’s protégé and one of his most loyal servants, was lonely, irritated, and nearing the end of his wits when it came to dealing with the unceasing tide of senseless chatter from Aizen-heika’s closest friend. He had been kept away from his lover for close to five years now . . . not that he blamed anyone for it. He’d seen the wisdom in it, but he was beginning to reach his limits. A large part of him wanted to just forget everything, climb onto his dragon’s back, and then soar off to wherever his lover was. 

But he knew he couldn’t do that, for a multitude of reasons. First, because it would have been utterly disrespectful to his king, and bordering on treason. Second, because there was no way he could leave the capital city of Las Noches now. If he did, the entire kingdom might fall into chaos. He was the presiding authority while their king was away, staying in one of the boarder fortresses to keep an eye on his future wife, which meant he was more or less responsible for keeping things running from day to day. 

It wasn’t that the First, Second, and Third Generals weren’t capable of running things . . . or maybe it was. Coyote Starrk was a fearsome warrior and a brilliant tactician, but if there wasn’t a battle to be fought, he was out cold, sleeping the days away in almost obscene obliviousness. Barragan was . . . well, Barragan, and was really only interested in making his presence known to people he saw as inferior, in making sure that they knew he stood over them (everyone was sure he had a royalty complex, or something . . .). Neither of them were really a good choice to leave in command in their leader’s absence.

Unlike the other two, Tier Harribel was perfectly capable and probably well suited to being a stand-in for their king, but since she was in charge of planning not only Ichimaru’s wedding, to be hosted in the palace of Las Noches itself, but also cooperating with the Queen of Karakura, Kurosaki Masaki, for the upcoming wedding of her son, to Aizen, she was far too busy to really worry about anything else. Gin was bored too easily and often neglected his official duties anyways, and Tousen was too wrapped up in his ideals to make an effective temporary leader of an entire nation. 

So, that left Ulquiorra. He and Murcielago toured the palace facilities, making note of anything that needed to be fixed, replaced, or removed, keeping an accurate list of what supplies for both weddings would be needed, how much of them, where they needed to be bought from, and when they needed to be ordered. He met with various lord and ladies that came from Hueco Mundo’s oldest families and nobility, listened to their complaints, requests, questions, and irritatingly pointless drabble that came with it all. He met with architects and builders to discuss current, past, and future projects to improve the city. He checked in with the local military forces, making sure that all was well in the streets, and that nothing major had happened overnight, among a great deal of other things. More often than not, he hardly ever had more than two minutes of the day to himself, and if not for the fact that he knew Aizen-heika, and Grimmjow, were counting on him, and if not for Murcielago’s constant presence and support, he believed that he would have thrown himself off the highest tower ages ago.

But Grimmjow would be home soon. While it didn’t show on the carefully constructed emotionless mask he wore almost always wore in front of people, he was happy on the inside. More than happy, he was ecstatic. He would finally be able to see his lover again, after so much separation. That thought on its own made him feel as though whatever it was that he had to face that day was light, and nearly meaningless, simple tasks that he could deal with with ease.

Soon enough, he and Grimmjow would be together again. That was enough for him.


	4. Brooding and Fragile Hopes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit shorter, as from this point forward, the introduction-type chapters are over and the main-main story begins. I hope you like this chapter and I hope you continue to support this story~ You're all fabulous~

Hyourinmaru had grabbed his bonded human by the collar of his haori and had dragged the young silverette out for a flight. Toshiro had been stewing and simmering about the visit from general Ichimaru since the minute the elder had arrived. He had locked himself in his room the moment he had heard the elder was in Seireitei, and had flat out refused to come out, even with the light teasing from his lieutenant, as well as the soft pleas of his older sister. Not even watermelon and promises from Rangiku to do her paperwork for the next three and a half months, as well as Momo promising to hang out with him for as much time as she had off of her duties with him along with promises of as much watermelon and fermented beans as he could eat would sway the stubborn young tactician from sulking in his room.

It was a beautifully sunny afternoon, and after the two of them had a leisurely several hour flight, in which he had been sternly lectured at by the ancient dragon for his behavior, the two landed and Toushiro realized just how hungry he was. The teenage silverette ran to the kitchens and hurriedly looked for leftovers, warmed them up and raced back to his dragon's side and settled down next to Hyourinmaru to eat. A loud and relieved voice sang out from behind them and their left "Toushiro~ It's good to see you outside! Haineko had told me that you were outside, and I really hoped that you still were. I've been worried about you."

"Hey Matsumoto. It's nice to see you as well. Hyourinmaru lectured me and he's right. It's stupid to take it out on you and Momo-nee, especially as there's a good chance that, after a few months, I'll never be able to see either of you again. At least . . . not for a long time. So, I decided I should stop sulking by myself and be with my loved ones for as much as I can, to be able to carry wonderful memories into . . . into the situation I'm about to enter, to remind myself why I allowed myself to be married of to a Hueco Mundo general in the first place; to protect Seireitei and to protect my loved ones from the harshness of war, and to protect them from the early deaths of so many it causes." Toushiro responded, looking more than a little sheepish and guilty.

The blue-eyed woman smiled down at her boss, happy that her growly captain was thinking rationally once more, and touched that he felt that she was a loved one. Toushiro was the youngest of Seireitei's generals, and some nobles tried to use that fact to try to gain favor with the military through the young silverette. His genius mind had figured that out long ago, but it still irritated him greatly from time to time. Tobiume, the Fire Blossom, the young fire-drake bonded to Toushiro’s adoptive older sister, Hinamori Momo, kept any enterprising nobles from going after the young lieutenant. That and her equal parts confusing-and-oddly-creepy general, Hirako Shinji as well as his illusionary wielding (though nowhere close, sadly, to the strength and depth of illusions that Kyouka Suigetsu was capable of) dragon, Sakanade. Together, the five of them, seven if one counted Hyourinmaru and Haineko, had successfully defended the young general from all who sought to use his youth and position for their own gain. 

Until now, that was.

From that moment, Toushiro put aside his negativity as best he could, and spent as much time as he could with his sister, and with his ridiculous, but somehow lovable lieutenant, and the few other friends he had made in his years in the palace.

Time passed rather quickly for the young lord. He had a little over a month left to spend with his family and loved ones, before he would be trapped in a marriage with a cruel, smiling bastard and his even scarier and crueler asshole monarch. Toushiro did hope that the rumors of the eldest child of the Kurosaki family was marrying Aizen Sousuke were true. He had met the couple-years-younger-teen about a year ago and the two of them had connected. It would be horrible for Ichigo no doubt, but at least he would have someone to help weather the hell they were going to be in for, for the rest of their lives. It amazing Toushiro how the younger male could keep up such a public persona, he had tried that for about . . . a week, and promptly decided that, for his sanity's sake, it would be a bad idea for him to try to keep up. Besides, shouting at newbies was a good way to keep them motivated.

~

"Soi Fon, I have a question to ask you, as you are the head of intelligence. I have heard rumors that the eldest child of the Kurosaki family is marrying Aizen Sousuke . . . . is there any credence to this?" Toushiro asked bluntly one day, staring down the head of intelligence for Seireitei.

"As far as my spies can tell, yes it is true. They are cementing a treaty with one another through marriage. We were planning on marrying you off to one of the younger two, but Aizen's proposal came before we could finish drawing up the treaty so it was scrapped." Soi Fon responded bluntly. Toushiro managed to hold in a scowl, he would have much rather have been married to one of Ichigo's younger sisters. Yuzu was sweet and warm. Karin was fiery like he was and a decent fighter. But no, he had to be stuck with freaking Ichimaru Gin instead.

~

The day of the engagement party he was being forced to attend with his, dared he even think it, fiancé, was less than a week away now, and it had been confirmed, mostly by way of an invitation received from the royal family of Karakura, that Crown Prince Kurosaki Ichigo was indeed being married to Aizen Sousuke, High King of Hueco Mundo. 

A delegation had already been picked out to accompany him to Karakura, consisting of the Kuchiki siblings, Ayasegawa Yumichika, Madarame Ikkaku, and Abarai Renji, all of whom more or less knew how to act in the presence of nobility and royalty, though Renji sometimes had to be reminded by his captain, and his captain’s younger sister . . . harshly.

To Toushiro, it was like watching doom’s day approach. But, like the son of the noble family, and trained general he was, he held his head high, and tried to not let anyone see how upset he really was, for his own sake, more than anyone else’s. He couldn’t take any more of their pity. It was driving him insane as it was. He hoped, at the very least, that he and Ichigo could be allies in their impending imprisonment.


	5. First Betrayal and Attempted Assassination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo meets his husband-to-be once again as he comes for their engagement party, three weeks before their wedding, and things do not turn out well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaah~ Things are starting to happen now! About half of this story was written by my co-author, childishillusions, so, be sure to credit her for this too! Our parts are so intermingled that there's no point in separating it all. But, at any rate, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
> 
> On a slightly unrelated note: If I were to describe Aizen by way of a song, no words, just pure music, I would use the instrumental version of Sahara by Nightwish. Give it a listen if you're interested~

Aizen flew with his top generals with him, gliding with them, moving towards where his bride was. What Grimmjow had last found out, before he had left a few days before the King and his generals were due to arrive, was that Ichigo had calmed down a bit in regards to how he truly felt about marrying the elder brunette. Ichigo had been convinced by both Grimmjow and, surprisingly enough, his mother, Queen Masaki, to look past the rumors to try and see him. Sousuke knew that he was likely to have precisely one shot to make a good impression, as well as to gain the orangette's trust, as Ichigo apparently spent his time either hanging out for his loved ones, or spazzing around in a kitchen making all sorts of things, throwing sharp, pointing things at anyone who tried to talk to the him.

This greatly amused the brown haired monarch, and he was rather hopeful of how he was going to be received. Though he knew that Ichigo would be using his public mask, as he would be greeted by the full court of Karakura. And the prince's mask would go up if one talked about him for more than a few minutes. He also, according to Grimmjow, was withdrawing slightly from his friends in a way that meant that he was preparing to be cut off from them for a long time, and was trying to close off his heart. From what Sousuke had heard, the teen had a large heart and he was a bit tense on what his mental and emotional states were going to be.

There they all were, arrayed out in their best clothes and those who had dragons had them by their side in the large open foyer-platform that was no doubt used for important guests, as well as for take-offs and landings. Ichigo was there in a dark outfit, something which had the brown haired king almost twitch, but his smiled faintly as he saw the red trim on his elegant outfit. He preferred people to be in pale colors that were his, or soon to become his, though Aizen was uncertain as to whether or not Ichigo knew that. If the younger male knew this, it could be a subtle act of rebellion and a glimmer of the berry's true personality, which was good.

Their landing proceeded without any problems and soon enough, the two opposing parties were arrayed directly opposite each other, with about ten feet of space between them. 

"Welcome to our city, I hope that you and your people have a wonderful stay before the wedding ceremony." Isshin greeted formally, a slight nod towards his fellow ruler in respect.

Aizen sent a charming smile at Ichigo, who noticed and shyly peeked up at his future husband a little before going back to staring at nothing in front of him. “I thank you, Kurosaki-heika. It's a pleasure to be here." he said smoothly, as though this were an event that had been planned out an approved by both sides, rather than forced by his own hand. Either way, he was pretty pleased with what he saw.

"These are my Espada, my most trusted and skilled generals. Tenth is Yammi. Ninth is Aaroniero. My Eighth is Szayel. Seventh is Zommari, and Fifth is Nnoitra. This is my lovely Fourth, Ulquiorra, and Harribel is my Third. Second is Baraggan, and last, my First is Starrk. It's an honor to be here." Aizen said, introducing his entourage in order of rank. Ulquiorra reached out to tug on Aizen's sleeve, and cast him a meaningful look. Understanding lit Aizen's eyes. "Ah, that's right. Before I forget, I have yet to introduce my Sixth General. Grimmjow, would you come join us, please?"

Grimmjow and Pantera, standing on one end of the Karakura reception, silently made their way over to where Aizen and his followers stood, sliding in near the Fourth General. A black and dark green dragon immediately began nuzzling the white and black she-drake, purring as dragon's do. And Grimmjow himself discreetly grasped Ulquiorra's hand, thrilled at seeing his lover again in so long, but professional enough to not make a scene. He gazed back at Ichigo with steady blue eyes, waiting for the impending reaction. He knew that the Karakuran Royal Court would not react well to finding out his real identity, but he didn’t care about them. Isshin would take care of them, he would have to, otherwise . . . his king might react . . . unfavorably.

While there was gasps and rapid, scandalized whispers from everywhere around him, there was merely a slight twitch in the orangette's left eye, and apart from that, there was no visible reaction. Not yet anyways. "It is an honor to meet you all. I hope that we will be able to coexist peacefully, as well as get to know one another." Ichigo's voice was polite but warm and curious in a professional sort of way. The orange haired teenager 'accidentally' avoided his husband-to-be and the spying liar who seemed to be trying to attract his attention, far too much in emotional turmoil to be able to speak very much.

~

Ichigo did not look at Grimmjow for the rest of the reception, and had quietly slipped off towards the end of it, and no one attempted to stop him. 

The teenager found his true friends and told them of the bluenette's deception, and seemed to freeze in utter horror. Grimmjow would have told everything Ichigo had said about how he felt about his husband to be, and the situation he was expecting to be in. His light brown eyes dilated in panic and Zangetsu pounded at the door that barred him from his master until someone opened it, and immediately, he was wrapping a tail around his distraught prince and murmuring words of comfort and support.

Orihime was the first to snap out of her shock, and instead of dissolving into tears, or running and hiding as some of the small group half-expected, her eyes blazed with anger, and her voice shook "Don't worry, Kurosaki-kun. I will deal with the spy. He won't be bothering you again." With that she got up and left the room, eyes blazing with retribution.

Thirty seconds later, Ichigo extracted himself from Zangetsu and ran after his friend and tackling her before she managed to get to Grimmjow in the main hall. Not that either Karakuran knew, but well over half of the Espada, including the bluenette heard Ichigo's hurried, whispered words "Don't 'hime! I know what you're going to do and you can't! Do you have any idea what He would do to our people? And besides Grimmjow was probably just doing what he was ordered to. For the love of all that is green and beautiful don’t. Use. Your. Magic. Now. Please 'hime . . . ."

The normally kind grey eyes were full of furious steel, but she hesitated long enough to gauge what her friend said. "As you say. But he will pay for his deception. He had no right to spy on you for his master."

"Do you think that I'm happy that Grimmjow used us, all of us, simply to see what I thought of . . . of Him? Please, Orihime, we're too close to the guest quarters to talk about this sort of thing openly!" The young prince's form was partially seen as he was holding on rather tightly to the beautiful teenaged female that he obviously knew very well. It was very clear to them how frantic, how terrified the pair of them were . . . . Just what did Grimmjow know about the prince?

~

"Grimm . . . what's the matter? You seem troubled." Ulquiorra said softly, gazing up at his blue haired lover with concerned emerald green eyes.

Grimmjow let out a sigh from where he sat on a couch with his lover in their shared guest room. It was late afternoon now, and Grimmjow had not seen Ichigo since that instance in the side doorway into the great hall, and he knew that the teen must be furious, as was just about every Karakuran in the palace.

"It's Ichigo. I know he's probably pissed as hell, and fucking hurt. I hurt him, Ulqui . . . I never wanted to. But I did." he murmured in response. Ulquiorra's eyes softened, and he nuzzled his face into Grimmjow's chest, not wanting to be separated in any way, shape, or form. At least not for a long while. "I didn't lie to him, Ulqui . . . I was following orders, and I may have not told him who I really was, but I didn't lie to him, not about . . . not about anything particularly important. He's my friend . . . or . . . he was my friend . . . ."

"Grimm. Don't dwell on the past. It's over and done with, it cannot be changed now. You can only move forward from this point. Try to apologize to Prince Ichigo. He may not listen to you right now, but at least you tried. You're sorry about what happened, right? No one will know that unless you at least try to make amends, no matter what the Prince's reaction might be." Ulquiorra said firmly, unusually talkative at the moment. He just hated to see his beloved hurting, not when their reunion was supposed to be happy, joyous. He pressed light kisses to Grimmjow's face when he'd finished talking.

"Yeah . . . . You're right, Ulqui . . . as usual. I'll go talk to him . . . " the blue haired general whispered, leaning in to the black-haired male's touch, cradling the slender man in his arms tightly, "But not right now. Right now . . . I just want to be with you."

Ulquiorra smiled, and said nothing, content to just bask in the presence of his near-long-lost lover.


	6. Almost Fights and Bitter Musings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulquiorra seeks a favor from the young Prince of Karakura, and gets more than he bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ulquiorra loses his cool! Not very characteristic . . . I know. But for the sake of the plot, some OOCness is necessary.

Leaving Grimmjow in the depths of sleep after a round of lusty love-making, having bathed and dressed again, Ulquiorra was wandering around the halls of Karakura Palace, looking for one certain person in particular, but not about to stop and ask anyone where this person was. He didn't want said person to know he was coming. Murcielago trotted alongside him, a bit disgruntled that he'd been taken away from his Pantera so soon, but understanding that his partner needed his assistance.

 _'Do you know where he is yet, Murcielago?'_ Ulquiorra asked as they continued down the halls. The black and green dragon scented the air once again, _'We're close. I believe it's just up ahead.' 'Is he alone?'_ Ulquiorra queried, not really wanting to have to deal with what Grimmjow described as 'overprotective friends, who half the time have sticks up their asses and will always take Ichigo's side on everything'. _'As far as I can tell, he is, apart from his dragon. Are you sure this is a good idea, Ulquiorra?'_ Murcielago said, a bit of apprehension flickering across their emotional bond. _'Maybe, maybe not. I still want to try though. For Grimmjow's sake. He can't very well harm me. Not with Aizen-sama being only a few corridors away. I just want to ask him to give Grimmjow a chance to explain, and apologize.'_ the Fourth general replied quietly. _'It's not so much the prince I'm worried about. It's Zangetsu. He's . . . very protective of his partner.'_ To this, Ulquiorra had no reply.

They stopped outside a nondescript door, and, taking in a deep breath and then exhaling, Ulquiorra knocked on the door of the room where the Prince of Karakura was, and waited for an answer.

Ichigo, half asleep and curled up near Zangetsu, stirred a little and blinked at the door, utterly confused. Who was at the door? It made no sense . . . His friends had gone off to their rooms about an hour or so ago as they had exhausted all topics of conversation that they had been interested in. As usual, they were trying to figure out a way to have Ichigo stay and not have to marry and live so far away, while Ichigo quietly informed them of exactly what the treaty stated, and reminded them that his very powerful fiancé was in the palace, with his dragon and his top generals along with their dragons. None of them had mentioned he-who-would-not-be-spoken-of, which suited Ichigo fine. He was still severely pissed off at . . . that person for spying on them, though he did acknowledge that it was probably because his leader ordered him to . . . It did not improve his mood in the slightest as that likely meant that Grimmjow had never cared about any of them and had been using them to get the information his master wanted. " . . . Who is it?" Ichigo called out, moving to the door, fingers barely brushing the handle as he waited for the person to respond.

"I am Ulquiorra Cifer, Aizen-sama's Fourth General. I wish to speak with you." The black haired male responded "And Murcielago is with me." In case the younger male didn't think to guess that his dragon would be his side.

Ichigo sighed and opened the door, going to lean against the door frame, "General Cifer, I don't mean to be impolite but . . . Why are you knocking on my bedroom door at such a late hour? Do you or your dragon require any assistance from me?" The bright haired prince replied, mask of politeness slipping on effortlessly as he felt Zangetsu shift behind him, a base sound rumbling out of the dragon's chest. Ichigo blinked up at the black and red dragon, a look of mild confusion on his face . . . . Was Zan . . . growling?

~

 _'It seems that Zangetsu and Murcielago are once again at odds with each other . . . .'_ Kyouka Suigetsu purred, staring out the window with knowing crimson eyes. Aizen looked over at her from where he was sitting up in the bed that had been prepared for him. _'Once again? What do you mean, dear one?'_ he asked his dragon. 

Kyouka Suigetsu busied herself with cleaning between her claws with her long tongue, _'Oh, those two have a history of conflict. They've almost killed each other a few times, but that was a long time ago, back when both of them were very young and very stupid. They're still like hatchlings in many ways though . . . and both are prone to not forgetting past animosity. But . . . with any luck their partners will stop them from causing a ruckus, at least for propriety's sake.'_ the Mist Queen answered calmly, as she always did.

 _'Ulquiorra's there? With Ichigo? Why?'_ Aizen wondered over their link, taking his turn to gaze out the window towards Ichigo's wing. _'I don't know for certain, but for some reason, Pantera's upset. I suspect . . . it has to do with Grimmjow and your pretty mate-to-be's severed friendship. Pantera's likely unhappy because her bond-mate is, and Murcielago is likely angry because Pantera's upset, and if I know the Emerald Night, he's likely trying not to pick a fight with the Moon Fang. It's a foolish, but vicious cycle.'_ Kyouka snorted, flicking her tail across the floor in faint indignation.

 _'Hmmm. I see. Well, as long as they don't destroy the palace and Ichigo and Ulquiorra aren't harmed, they can do as they like.'_ Aizen replied, turning his attention back to the open book sitting on his lap.

_‘As usual, your playing dangerous games, my dear Sousuke. You’d best be careful.’_

_‘But, my darling Kyouka . . . dangerous games always render the best results. And are by far the most entertaining to watch.’_

_‘You won’t be saying that when either your bride-to-be or your protégé gets mauled by a pissed off dragon, my love.’_ The pale green she-drake’s crimson red eyes turned towards him, glittering with amusement.

A small smile crossed the dark-haired king’s face, _‘Kyouka, do you really think I’d let that happen? I know very well that you’re plenty prepared to intervene, if need be. Nothing will happen to either of them, not while you and I are watching.’_

_‘As always . . . I find your arrogant way of thinking utterly adorable, Sousuke.’_

_‘Please, my dear, it’s not arrogance, it’s merely intelligence.’_

_‘As you say, Sousuke, as you say.’_

~

Murcielago immediately took up a defensive stance, ready to shield his bonded, should the other dragon decide to attack. "Murcielago, stop! Please, I only want to talk. I'm not here on any business of Aizen-sama's, I swear!" Ulquiorra said, almost desperately. Murcielago stopped baring his sharp teeth, and relaxed slightly, but only slightly. He and Zangetsu did not get along, but both of them were bonded now, so he had hoped that they could put their past hostility behind them. But he wouldn't hesitate to fight back if his partner was threatened. However, Ulquiorra wanted him to stop, so, he would.

Zangetsu was not pleased, and certainly not willing to just let his familiar enemy near his partner. But Ichigo's hand on his scales prevented him from pouncing. He was curious as to what had brought the dark-haired general to his room in the middle of the night.

"Please, Kurosaki-denka . . . . I just want to talk to you about Grimmjow." Ulquiorra said, his voice slightly trained with a sort of anxiety.

Ichigo almost froze up entirely, rigid with anger. How dare he . . . how dare he bring up that . . . that traitor?! He folded his arms and glared at the black haired general. "What about him?" he said icily, his polite mask suddenly gone, though he wasn't entirely willing to listen to what the other man had to say. Only the blatant pleading in his voice made Ichigo pause instead of slamming the door in his face.

Ulquiorra looked . . . nervous, which was a first for him. "Grimmjow . . . Grimmjow is not . . . is not to blame for what happened. He was merely doing his duty to Aizen-sama."

"Yeah, I got that. But that doesn't change the fact that he still used me and my friends. He still made a show of pretending to care, of pretending he was my friend. I trusted him! And for what? To find out that he was sent here to watch me, and repeat everything I say to the bastard I'm supposed to marry in a few weeks?! I mean . . . what the hell is with that?!"

Ulquiorra shook his head; "It wasn't like that." he spoke rapidly, not giving Ichigo a chance to disagree with him, "Aizen-sama wanted to know what you thought of him, as well as how to best make you happy. He was concerned about you, so he sent Grimmjow . . . he sent my lover, to Karakura, for five years!" as he spoke, the anger he'd crushed down into near nothingness rose up in his chest and his voice, a sort of bitter rage he held that this person was the reason he'd been separated from Grimmjow for five years, and now was the reason his beloved was hurting inside. It stemmed from the loneliness and longing he'd experienced for five years. 

Murcielago used his tail to nudge his master closer to him, where Ulquiorra turned away from Ichigo to collect himself. There weren’t very many people who got to see the emotions he kept hidden away. Grimmjow was one of them, as was his king, but this orange haired prince was one of the last people he’d wanted to see him snap. His breathing was harsh and forced as he fought to push back down what had risen up. 

His dragon continued speaking for him, projecting his thoughts outside the link he shared with his bond-partner, _‘Today was the first time in five years that my master has been able to see the man he loves, and I, my dearest mate. It was supposed to be a happy event. But Grimmjow isn't happy, even though he’s been reunited with my master . . . he's miserable. He's miserable because he hurt you, Prince Ichigo, he knows he betrayed you. He never wanted to hurt you; it's hurting him to know that he's hurt you, his dear friend. The least you could do is let him explain himself and let him apologize.’_

Aizen had known that it would be harder on both of them, had they been allowed to see each other. Besides, Ulquiorra was one of the ruling forces back in Las Noches, and couldn't leave the city as much as Aizen pretended not to. Both of them would be more unwilling to part time and time again, so Aizen had forbade contact between them. It was for both their sakes, they had known, but it hadn't made those five years any easier. 

Ulquiorra managed to regain enough of his normally calm, cool demeanor that he was able to force himself to face Ichigo once again. He "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Kurosaki-denka, that was very rude of me . . . . I just . . . I hate seeing Grimmjow hurting . . . especially since this was to be our reunion . . . ."

The orange haired prince's eyes softened a little before his heart clenched in a swell of uncharacteristic jealousy. Not only was Grimmjow a traitor, but he was able to be with someone he loved. Abruptly after that a wave of self hatred and recrimination broke forcefully within the teen and his shoulders slumped a little, as one of Zan's forepaws slowly moved around in a partial embrace of his conflicted bonded. _'You have every right to be angry. He did betray you, and got to know you only on his master's orders.'_ Zangetsu stated through the link, wanting to consol his bonded. Several others he disliked were soon to become faces that he would, regrettably, have to see on a likely daily basis. He also detested the fact that his bonded was forced into having a mate, even though said forced choice might be a fit match.

 _'But he didn't hide his true personality . . . I think, from what Cifer told us, the Grimmjow we knew would have been really upset and I doubt he's lying. He's too upset, too angry to lie. I'll give Grimmjow one chance to explain himself.'_ Ichigo decided, responding to the darkly colored dragon's points. Out loud he responded to a tense and still visibly irritated Ulquiorra "I too, must apologize for my harsh words, General Cifer. I will allow General Jeagerjaques a private chance to explain his actions. I wish you and your love all the best. It's nice to know that some are in love." That last sentence slipped out, and held bitterness. Not that those two specifically were in love, but that they had the choice to pick one another for such a bond.

Ulquiorra nodded a touch stiffly "Thank you very much Kurosaki-denka. When will you be free?"

"I do not know. I am unsure when . . . when Aizen-heika will have time to see me tomorrow or any other day in between his other duties as well as any other activities he has planned, both for tomorrow and for the next few weeks." The teenage prince responded, voice tightening a little as his eyes prickled a little. He had promised, both to his mother, to Grimmjow and to himself that he would try and give the powerful king the benefit of the doubt. But the way in which he handled his policies, as well as the threats he had used against his father that had resulted in this, had the teen still quailing at the prospect of having to have regular contact with the man in his own country, much less the man's palace in his capital. "My schedule is clear, as my father and I had decided to keep it that way so as not to have any schedule conflicts with whatever Aizen-heika had planned to do with me these next few weeks."

"I shall see to Aizen-sama's schedule, since yours is clear." Ulquiorra responded, eyes going large in shock at the change that had overcome Ichigo at the rather simple question. His shields had gone up, and with it, that very convincing mask of a personality at something that even approached his ruler in passing. The way the younger male ever so slightly trembled, along with the shifting of the black and red dragon's wings. Both were subtle, but showed how distressed the teenager was. He wanted to reassure the younger that Aizen-sama was not the monster he was painted as by others, but suspected that that would be ill received. So he simply turned on his heel and left after murmuring "I hope you rest well, Kurosaki-denka. Thank you for listening to me."

=-=-=-

Grimmjow looked up from the book he had been not-reading to see his darker haired lover come in, a look of discontent on the green eyed man's face. “Where did you go? I woke up and you were gone . . . .”

"I spoke with Kurosaki-denka. He says that he will listen to your explanation, though how much of it he will believe is another matter." Ulquiorra responded pensively. Grimmjow had been sent by Aizen-sama to see what the state of his wife-to-be. What Grimmjow had likely found, and what Ulquiorra had definitely ascertained from a single meeting of the young prince, gravely concerned him. ". . . You did tell Aizen-sama that Kurosaki-denka is utterly terrified of him, haven't you?" he added softly.

"Of course I did. But Ichigo promised, not just to me, but to his mother as well, to try and see Aizen without any bias. I know he's still really freaked out and . . . he hates it when he's helpless. It angers and terrifies him and, well, he's completely helpless in this situation, or at least he feels that way. And he's so damn self-sacrificial too, the idiot that he is." Grimmjow growled back, sighing in frustration, although happy that his . . . (former?) friend would let him explain himself.

"What do you mean?" The black haired Espada asked, a faint look of worry on his face. This could be potentially catastrophic, depending on what his lover said next.

"What I mean is, even if Aizen-sama was just as cruel, just as vicious and malignant as the rumors paint him to be, Ichigo would still allow himself to be married to him in order to protect his people, and to continue to keep Karakura's end of the treaty. I've managed to convince him that Aizen-sama's likely to be not as horrible as the hearsay does, but I'm not sure how much."


	7. Party Preperations and Early Harassment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some new introductions, and continued annoyance for Ichigo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooooow. So many hits. So much Kudos! YOU ALL ARE SO NICE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'm sooooooo glad you all are enjoying Kay-chan and I's story! Here's the next chapter, just for you~

Grimmjow was pacing. He had been doing that for the past twenty minutes and Pantera was certain that he was going to wear a trench where he was walking around in, so she quickly lashed out her tail and curled it around his legs _'Enough! Ichigo will either be able to come or he won't. Stop worrying.'_ The blue dragon rumbled, glowering at her silly human until he stopped stuttering and struggling.

 _'Thanks, Pantera. I think I hear him coming. Let me go!'_ Grimmjow responded, a touch impatient. The pale dragon stared down impassively at her bonded for a few seconds longer before letting the general go.

The orange haired prince walked into the room, leaning against the doorframe. "I'm here, General. What did you wish to speak to me about?" neutral, calm and polite.

. . . That was bad, that was very, very bad, "… Ichigo I was sent here by Aizen-sama to tell him how you were fairing, and what your likes and dislikes were so that he knew what would please you. I was sent to observe only, we were never even supposed to meet, but you and I . . . bumped into one another, and, after our first fight, we got to talking and . . . we became friends. I know I hurt you by keeping my mission a secret, but you wouldn't have had anything to do with me if I told you who I really was." Grimmjow explained.

"General Cifer mentioned something to that effect last night. Aizen-heika and my father are going to be very busy. Apparently they are arranging some sort of event. Mother and that female Espada, Harribel or something, are . . . plotting something. I don’t know what, but I doubt I’m going to like it. Was the Fourth the friend you mentioned several months ago?" Ichigo responded, still coolly polite, but the words were at least warmer than they had been yesterday.

"Yes he was, and I did meet Aizen through Ulquiorra . . . and what do you mean by plot?" Grimmjow responded, frankly, rather nervous at what that mix of people were up to.

"Something about china dolls in dresses, or something along those lines . . . .” Ichigo paused for a moment, “How long have you been . . . attached to General Cifer?" he asked, a mixture of politeness and genuine curiosity on his face.

Grimmjow, noticing the slight hand movement from Ichigo, realized that the orangette had, at least in part, forgiven him for his deception and that they were in a place where they could be overheard, if they weren't being listened in on currently. "Well . . . We've been lovers for several decades, though we haven't seen one another in five years as Aizen-sama rightly guessed that it would be too hard for us to talk briefly while I was . . . undercover."

"I hope that you and your love have a long and wonderful relationship with one another." Ichigo responded softly, eyes cast downward, "I hope that you have a fair day and enjoy your stay at our palace, General."

=-=-=-

She was uncertain why she was here, but her big brother had said that Yamamoto-sama had decided that she, along with her big brother, Yumichika, Ikkaku would go as guards for general Toushiro, who was soon to marry Aizen Sousuke's right hand, Ichimaru Gin. The silverette was scowling heavily and went to the ball that the Karakurans were putting up as a . . . celebration of their oldest royal's child imminent marriage to Aizen Sousuke. Rukia wondered how the prince felt about it. They had landed and spoke with the others, though the affianced prince wasn't there. Apparently he was out for a flight on his dragon with a few of the Espada, getting to know a few of the people who he would be interacting with, if not on a daily basis, definitely a weekly basis.

A couple of hours later found Rukia to be wandering around aimlessly, lost and very annoyed about that fact. She turned around a blind turn and ran into someone. She snapped, forgetting herself for a moment "Watch where you are going, idiot!"

The giant orange haired teenager glowered down at her and demanded "Who the hell are you?" in a clearly Karakuran accent.

"I'm Kuchiki Rukia, of the Kuchiki House, here to escort Hitsugaya Toushiro from the Seireitei." she said, politely, but coldly. She didn't know who this strange boy was, but she just hoped her position and status as a guest in the palace would frighten him enough to make him respectful, at the very least, since she didn't have Sode no Shirayuki with her at the moment to do it for her.

The orangette raised an eyebrow at her, clearly not at all intimidated by her identity and rank in the least, "Oh? Your one of the nobles that came with the kid whose going to be married to fox-face Ichimaru? What are you doing down here? Are you lost?"

Rukia flushed a bit, and hesitantly nodded. 

The orange-haired teen grinned, slightly mockingly, but mostly just amused, "Well, then let me show you the way back to the ballroom." he said, motioning for her to follow him as he started down the hall in the direction she'd just come from.

"You . . . live here, in the palace, right?" the dark haired girl said slowly after a couple of minutes of silence had passed between them as they walked.

"Of course I do. I have all my life. I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, Prince of Karakura." 

'The Prince?! He's the Prince?!' she thought as her eyes widened a bit in astonishment, but the rigorous training in controlling ones emotions and expressions her elder brother had put her through prevented any further reaction. "Y . . . You're the one marrying Aizen Sousuke, High King of Hueco Mundo . . . ?"

Ichigo had to stop himself from scowling. The Espada he'd gone flying with, namely Grimmjow, Starrk, Szayel, and Baraggan, (Ulquiorra had for some reason, been noticeably absent from their group) had assured him that Aizen wasn't what the rumors painted him as. He still wasn't convinced this was true, but he was getting tired of people trying to force their opinions on him. And he didn't like talking about his soon-to-be husband. But this girl had just gotten here today, and there was no way she could have known what was going on in his private life, so there was no reason to take it out on her. "Yes, I am," he said is a carefully controlled voice, "for the good of Karakura." 

It was a response that Rukia knew, actually meant that he was not happy about this situation at all. He was a lot less vocal about his displeasure than Toushiro was, that was for sure. He'd even told his future husband he hated him, to his face. Though . . . she wasn't sure that Gin took it all that seriously. She wasn't even sure if he took anything seriously. His visits were random and sporadic at best, and often caused the servants in the Seireitei to fly up into a panic at the sudden arrival of such an important guest. She was sure Gin just loved to cause trouble, no matter where he went or what he was doing. 

"Well . . . all I can really say, is that I wish you luck with your marriage." she finally said in a low voice, keeping her gaze pointedly away from the male walking in front of her, "And . . . if it's not too much of me to ask . . . I would beg a favor from you, Ichigo-denka." 

Ichigo blinked, his curiosity overpowering his irritation, "Hm? What favor?"

"I know we have just met . . . but I would like to ask you . . . to please take care of Hitsugaya-taicho . . . . He's . . . he's not happy about having to suddenly uproot and leave everything and everyone he's known and loved to be shipped off to a strange place to be the bride of a stranger, for the sake of a treaty that will always be . . . fragile, at best. I would ask you . . . to be his friend, as someone who knows at least a little of what he's feeling."

"Of course, Kuchiki-dono . . . I was planning to talk to him later, our schedules and that of those who we are soon to wed's schedules allowing, of course. We have spoken a few times, and we get along fairly well. This is the ballroom. The main paths are marked at the turns with red stones on the corners of the entrances, while the lesser known are marked with green and blue." Ichigo informed her "If you find yourself lost, look for red stone and follow. Someone will find you fairly quickly that way."

Rukia nodded and thanked the prince for his assistance, mentally repeating what he had told her, until she was certain she had it, making a not to tell the others in the group she had come with about that little quirk of the palace of Karakura. Her older brother walked towards her, and asked if she was alright, sensing her pensiveness. It would appear to the noble, that the only ones happy in this arrangement were the ones orchestrating this whole affair. She wondered why Karakura would enter such a lopsided treaty with Hueco Mundo but had a suspicion it was their only choice if they wished to stay a sovereign nation.

=-=-=-

Nnoitra was having fun taunting the little firecracker that was to be Ichimaru-sama's wife. The fox-like man was going to have quite a lot of fun with this one, the black haired male decided, he was adorable angry and the youth's voice got higher the more worked up he got. The door opened, causing both foreigners to turn around, and they blinked in synchronized confusion. It was the other bride-to-be, Prince Kurosaki.

"I couldn't help but overhear your . . . conversation. General Jiruga I believe your . . . assistant, Tesla, may have been spirited away by a few of the more curious servants. They would be in the west wing of the palace, most likely," The prince murmured quietly. The Espada cursed and ran off, to rescue his soft-spoken lieutenant. Tesla was his to bully, dammit!

As soon as the heavy thudding footsteps had faded, Toushiro visibly relaxed, the tension flowing out of his body as he sighed, "Thanks for the rescue, Ichigo." A small smile appearing on his face.

"Not a problem, Toshiro . . . you're not going to insist I call you Hitsugaya-taicho, are you? After all, we are shortly to enter Hell until we die." Ichigo responded, only half joking, nodding and smiling at the older youth.

The white haired teenager responded with a rueful smile "And I suppose you're going to be using that mask of yours, right? How the hell do you keep it up like that without cracking or going insane? I tried doing it for like a week . . . It sucked and I gave up on it."

"Because the mask ensures that I am more or less invisible to others, as who would believe that the bland, polite prince of Karakura was capable of much more than what he was told to do? Besides, it's easier to let the nobles think that I will just stay quiet if anything slips up in conversation, as the 'polite and demure' prince of Karakura is too innocent or too dull to understand what they say." the orangette responded factually "And I've known who I was going to marry since I was able to understand such things, and developed that personality as exactly the kind of person that my soon to be husband finds most boring. I hope it works . . . . "

"Yeah . . . . I guess. But wouldn't that just make everything harder . . . ?" Toushiro murmured, mostly to himself. He didn't want to get married. He didn't want to leave his beloved sister, or his annoying, but lovable lieutenant, or his home in Seireitei. "None of this is fair . . . why should we be the ones to bear the burden of peace . . . ? Why are we the ones who have to sacrifice everything short of our lives because someone else told us to . . . ?"

Ichigo didn't have an answer for him. Not one that would make anything better, that is. He had been forced into this situation by the very man he was going to marry. It wasn't like he had the answer as to why the King of Hueco Mundo had forced this disproportionate and frankly oppressive treaty on them, and why he had to pay the price for everyone's safety. He was the Prince, firstborn child of the King of Karakura, it was his duty to sacrifice everything for his people, but that didn't make it any more fair, or pleasant. He settled for putting a hand on the young general's shoulder, "Hey, if nothing else . . . we're in this boat together. I got your back, alright?"

Toushiro stared up at him, his green eyes full of pain, and a bit of fear, but also hope. He nodded, "And I've got yours."

A minute passed in silence, broken by a small knock on the door, where a servant stood, now bowed over. She wore a smile on her face as she said, "Ichigo-denka, Hitsugaya-sama, Joō Heika (Her Majesty the Queen) sent me to bring you to her morning room. She asked that you both please come immediately."

Ichigo tilted his head a little bit in confusion, and then frowned as apprehension filled him. "Whatever Mom's been planning with those Arrancar women isn't going to be good. But . . . there's no way in hell that we'll be able to get out of this . . . so we might as well go quietly and see what she wants, before Mom sends Tatsuki and Sado out to find us . . . ." he said with a very resigned sigh.

Toushiro just looked confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah. While I'm thinking about it, I'll take this opportunity to remind/inform everyone of a few important things.
> 
> Heika- "Your Majesty" can be applied to both genders, and when used while attached to a name "Your Majesty/King/Queen So-and-So"  
> Denka- "Your Highness/Prince" or, when used attached to a name, "Your Highness/Prince Ichigo", and, if I remember correctly, it's a title reserved for the Crown Prince.  
> Hime- While I don't think I've used this one yet, it means "Princess", so, if someone were addressing Karin or Yuzu, they'd probably say "Karin-hime" or "Yuzu-hime"  
> Joo Heika- "Her Majesty, the Queen"
> 
> Okaaaaaay? Everyone got it? . . . Good! Any other questions, feel free to ask~!


	8. Dancing Lessons and Crossdressing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo expresses his displeasure, get's surprised, and shows off his skills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol. I just . . . really wanted to make this happen. Read on, read on, dear readers, you'll find out what I mean! I hope you enjoy it! I apologize though, I wish I could get descriptions out in words to do the image in my head any justice.
> 
> ((Kubo-sensei, Y U NO MAKE SENSE?! Y U NO TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON?!))

"NO. NO WAY IN HELL AM I WEARING THAT."

"Ichigo, do calm down. You're frightening poor Toushiro-chan."

"THERE IS NO WAY I AM WEARING A FUCKING DRESS TO THE FUCKING PARTY."

His mother fixed him with a stare that had him gulping in mild fear , "Ichigo, the others and I have been working very hard on making this dress for you. If you do not wear this dress, the Arrancar may take it as an insult. Besides, this is, from what I've been told, traditional formal wear for brides to be of Hueco Mundo. You wouldn't want to upset your future husband by snubbing his culture do you?"

Ichigo flinched and looked downwards. The dress he was wearing had a full-length skirt, kept away from his legs by the corset like bodice, but it was nowhere near as bad as a hoop-skirt. It was made mostly of white silk, but it had a delicate red velvet swirl pattern on the lower half of the skirt, and on the top of the bodice. It was sleeveless, laced up his back, with long red gloves and a few pieces of silver jewelry set with rubies to complete the outfit. Thankfully, he was not going to be in heels, but the shoes they had presented him were, to his disgust, were pretty ruby red flats that made his feet look dainty and feminine when he wore them.

He didn't want to wear the damn thing, but he had known that his mom and the other women had been plotting something for a while now. The teen just wished it wasn't something like this. It sucked majorly, but his life was about to get a fuckton worse, so he might as well endure this humility. Besides they had already managed to get poor, poor Toushiro in that poofy blue number. With as much dignity as he could muster, the orangette took the dress wordlessly and flew off to his room, changed, donned a cloak and ran back to his mother.

The material billowed and swooshed around him. The silk breathed and swirled around him in effortless, lovely movements that the teenager secretly liked. At least the dress was nice, and moved well at high speeds. "I've got it on." The teen hissed, taking off the cloak and showing how he looked. The dress fit the teenager very well, and the white and red flattered Ichigo's natural colors. "It moves well at high speeds, I'll give it that. But after this fucking party I am never wearing this . . . travesty ever again."

Masaki smiled, delighted that her son had come to his senses. They were fairly certain that his husband to be would like to see Ichigo in such an ensemble, and this was likely one of the few times in a while that the brunette would have the opportunity. It would also give the king a chance to be seen as a comforting presence at the party, which would be able to foster trust. She had observed Sousuke closely over the years, and had decided that he would be a good match for Ichigo, if her son would give him a chance. However if the brunette hurt her baby boy, she would dismember him and give his entrails to her wolf, Seiran.

"But . . . Why do we have to wear dresses? Both of us are male . . ." Toushiro murmured plaintively tugging on one of the frills of his dress. At least Ichigo's dress was less of an . . . event then his was. His dress had a powder blue brocade bodice, with a full skirt like Ichigo's, with a layer of sparkly transparent silvery fabric that lay over the dark, midnight blue that faded into a light sky blue near the end. The blue and silver dress had a high necked collar and shoulders, but no sleeves, and elbow-length white gloves. His shoes had slight heels, and were the same powder blue as the bodice.

He wondered if their soon to-be husbands had any design input and resolved to kick the older tactician's ass later if it were so.

"It's tradition in Hueco Mundo that soon-to-be-wed, noble brides wear a dress that compliments and matches the outfit their intended is going to be wearing, so everyone knows whom they're to be married to. And whither you are both men or not, you are still going to be the brides. Besides, you two are not the only ones going to be wearing dresses." Masaki replied with a knowing smile.

Ichigo and Toushiro exchanged glances, "We're not?" they said together.

Masaki turned to a pair of servant women who stood near a door leading into another room, "Is he ready?" The girls nodded, smiles on their faces as well. "Good, bring him in, please." the Queen ordered smoothly. The two bowed, and went through the door they were standing in front of.

Ichigo and Toushiro sent each other confused looks once again. They didn't have to wait very long, and when the two servants returned, they had a third figure trailing behind them. 

Clad in a sleeveless dress of emerald green, lined with silver, that hugged his slender frame, with long dark green gloves over his arms, and long slits up the sides of the china-doll style dress, exposing almost all of his long, alabastrine legs, was Ulquiorra. His hair had been pulled up on the left side of his head, and held in a graceful loop by an ornate lotus flower made entirely out of silver, with emeralds on small chains dangling down from the accessory. He was very beautiful, and looked not resigned, but content, as if he were pleased by the outfit.

"You look lovely, my dear." Masaki purred.

Ulquiorra inclined his head slightly, "Thank you, Masaki-heika, for both your kind words and the lovely dress."

"It is tradition that all brides be presented the proper attire, so think nothing of it, Ulquiorra."

Ichigo stared, completely floored. "U-U-Ulquiorra?! You're a b-bride, too?!"

Ulquiorra turned his near-emotionless emerald gaze towards the prince, "Yes. Aizen-sama plans to announce my upcoming marriage to Grimmjow tonight. We were supposed to have been married five years ago . . . but you already know what happened to prevent that. I am being presented as a bride of Hueco Mundo tonight, along with you, Ichigo-denka, and Hitsugaya-sama."

"I see . . . " Ichigo fidgeted a little, uncertain as to what he was supposed to do now. "Can we take these off now? I mean, it's not for several hours and I wouldn't want to get into something and harm it somehow." The teen was not very good with such delicate materials as silk and taffeta. He was rather worried about how this was going to happen, and planned on hiding in a dark corner for most of the evening if he had his way. The dress fit well, and the soft material felt amazing . . . Ichigo was not confident enough to be in front of so many people, and likely to be in his . . . Future husband's company for who knew how many hours. The teen hadn't even seen Aizen since the initial meeting of the convoy.

Anyone who mentioned the breakfast-snacks were lying and insane as no one would ever be able to prove it. His mother smiled at him in a most disconcerting way. "Oh no, my dear son, you will be learning the traditional dances of Hueco Mundo from the Arrancar who made this dress."

"I've learned them all, already. Both parts, mother." Ichigo responded truthfully "I've known them since I was ten, among other things. I've known who I was arranged to wed since I was very young. I have been preparing for married life for most of my life." To show the truthfulness of what he said, Ichigo lightly danced the male's part of one of the most complex and difficult to learn dances of Ulquiorra's people, followed by the female's part in the same dance. "I can go through the others if you like, but I do know them."

"You dance it well. I would like to know who taught you the steps." this was Harribel, who found herself more curious about the future wife of her King. She vividly remembered the whispered conversation between himself and a voluptuous female about not killing a male someone, who none of them were certain of. Grimmjow had confirmed that she was one of Ichigo's close childhood friends. And that the feelings the teenager felt for all of them were strictly platonic. And any suitors had been gently, but firmly turned away by the prince, which was a mild surprise. Some would use the opportunity that such a position afforded them to mess around with whoever they liked, engaged or not, as a form of rebellion or in order to be 'good' when it came to their spouse.

"I learned from a series of books that are in the library here. It was hard to understand at first, but I got the hang of how they wrote how to do the steps and practiced until what I did matched the descriptions." The bright haired teen responded truthfully. The Tres Espada insisted on dancing each of the dances once, to ensure that nothing got lost in translation. Ichigo preformed Each dance with a stunning amount of grace and poise. 

Nelliel was teaching Toushiro how to dance the dances, with moderate success, but when Ichigo switched with the green haired female, the slightly older teen relaxed somewhat, and began remembering the steps more easily. After a time, the two had drawn the dark haired Espada into an impromptu dance, which had the three of them smiling, though all of the dancers were restraining themselves too much to smile broadly or laugh.

What none of the three of them knew was that their husbands to be had been quietly informed of the fact that the younger two were learning to dance and seemed to be relaxing a little. Sousuke found himself less than surprised that his fiancée had long ago learned the dances that he would be required to know as the brown haired king's wife. The silly dance that happened after a couple hours of dance practice was heartwarming in how genuinely happy all three seemed to be.


	9. Semi-Pleasurable Dancing and Muted Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ball begins, and Ichigo is beginning to see why his fiancé is so hard for people to resist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O_O There are so many of you . . . . Ack, I almost feel overwhelmed by the number of hits and kudos this thing has gotten. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Anywho, onto the next part of the story, please enjoy!

Grimmjow milled anxiously around in the ballroom, near the foot of the long staircase that led out into the rest of Karakura Palace. According to Aizen-sama, the brides were supposed to be presented very soon, at which time, he was to go up with his king and Ichimaru to claim his bride and lead him out to the middle of the room for the first dance, and believe it or not, he was nervous. But also very, very excited. He knew the customs of Hueco Mundo, and if he had learned them correctly, it meant his beautiful Ulquiorra would be wearing a dress. As would Ichigo. That thought in particular made him smile.

"Griiiiimmmmy-chaaaaaan~" 

He would know that voice anywhere . . . . With an already half-exasperated sigh, he turned his gaze towards the sound of the voice that had just called his name. "Ichimaru-sama." he acknowledged dryly. 

Gin was dressed in an elegant dark blue suit, trimmed with hints of silver, with a powder blue shirt and black fingerless gloves accompanying the ensemble. His cape had a tall flaring collar, and was black on the outside, but shimmered silver on the underside. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. He grinned, "Are ya excited, Grimmy-chan~? Or are ya scared?"

Grimmjow looked down at his own formal ensemble, made up of a black dress shirt (which was half unbuttoned, showing off his toned chest), tight black pants, and tall black boots, which all had accents of silver on them as well, and a dark green satin cloak that covered one shoulder, and left the other uncovered, the ends of it connected by a thin silver chain that crossed over his collarbone. His deep green gloves completed the outfit. He was pointedly ignoring Gin's question, not really willing to admit to the other man that he was either. "What about you, Ichimaru-sama?"

"Maaaah~ I'm excited. I can' wait ta be married ta dat lil' spitfire~ I'm gonna 'ave so much fun tamin' 'im. And 'e's so cuuuuuute~" the silver haired man replied, obviously not bothered by the fact that his intended seemed to hate his very existence. 

"At least try to be nice to him. He doesn't want to marry you, so the least you could do for him is try and make him comfortable, and lay off your teasing. You'll drive the poor kid crazy in the week before your wedding." Grimmjow snapped, irritated by the man's flippant attitude, as he usually was. That being said, though, his presence was sort of refreshing, in a totally annoying way.

Gin poked his arm, "Ya never answered mah question~"

Grimmjow scowled and opened his mouth to say something, but just then Aizen came up to the two of them, and silenced them with a glance. "It's time." he said, "I trust you both know what to do when your bride is presented."

"Yeah, yeah. When they ask who claims this bride I'm supposed to go up and claim Ulqui, and speak the vows of the intended. I know, I know." the blue-haired general grumbled, equally relieved by his king’s appearance, which had saved him from having to answer Gin’s question, as he was miffed by the constant reminders of what he was supposed to do. Everyone apparently was having a hard time believing that he was capable of remembering the traditional words to the ritual of claiming a bride, which was a time honored custom in Hueco Mundo. 

Harribel had drilled the words into him repeatedly, until he could say them in his sleep. Not that her tutelage had been necessary. Ulquiorra would likely have his head if he screwed this up. Hence the nervousness.

~

Ichigo was hardly breathing as he, Toushiro and Ulquiorra walked down the staircase to where their future husbands were waiting for them. Before anyone else had the potential, they had to dance with their intended, after being . . . claimed. What exactly that meant, the orange haired prince hadn't a clue. He only knew about that latest bit of the ceremony/party they were about to go through as Apacci, one of Harribel's attendants who had arrived later in the day as she had brought the material for their elegantly created dresses.

The teenager was very grateful that he didn't have to wear heels or anything else like that, partly because he was only a few inches shorter than his significant other, the other, he was already about six feet tall, and was among the tallest in the palace. He tried hard not to trip over his feet, trying not to fall the long way down the stairs. Not that he hadn't done that before on this staircase, but his head felt light and he swore that the two on his left and right could hear his heart beating.

They were approximately half way down the stairs when Ichigo realized that Aizen was by the stairs. Ichimaru and Grimmjow were as well, but the world shut down to the tall, deceptively handsome brown haired king. There should be international statutes against how attractive he looked in that suit. It was a mostly black in color, with a cream shirt and a long, flowing crimson colored cape that matched the red on his dress. He had to slow down a little, to calm his suddenly hitched breathing, as he neared the large party. Most of them were silent and watching the three brides, though Ichigo didn't register them at all.

He was a step above where Sousuke was, when the elder's larger hands lightly captured one of his. A warm, tingly sensation appeared on his hand right before those pale lips kissed his knuckles. The elder's deep, rich voice flowed over the teenager, speaking warmly, tenderly, but all he could register was the tone, and surprisingly warm and gentle brown eyes as those surprisingly kissable-looking lips moved as the elder continued to speak. After a time of that surprisingly lovely voice, Ichigo allowed the other to draw him closer to the powerful king. Ichimaru spoke for a time as well, but Ichigo was focused on trying to figure out what it was that his future husband had said specifically. Grimmjow's voice, more subdued and almost nervous, but giddy in nature, spoke to Ulquiorra for a time as well.

A swell of music played in the background, and Sou's voice rumbled a question. "Yes of course." Was the automatic response from the orange haired teenager. One of Aizen's hands went onto his left hip, the other lightly clasped his home as they begun to dance. It was nothing like the awkward, argumentative affairs that had been the tries with both Ishida and his father. Now was it the alright-but-slightly-strange dances with his mother. Sousuke's strong presence seemed to bolster and hold him aloft as if he weighed nothing.

“You are quite beautiful, Ichigo-denka.” Aizen purred, as he turned about the dance-floor with his bride-to-be. 

Ichigo resisted the urge to look away and blush, but he also wondered if he was just saying that because he was wearing a dress. “Thank you,” he murmured politely, as demurely and quietly as possible. 

Aizen laughed softly, guessing at Ichigo’s thoughts. “I’ve always thought you were beautiful, Denka. Even before you donned the traditional clothing of the brides of my country.”

To that, Ichigo wasn’t sure how to respond.

~

“Yer really pretty, ‘Shiro-chan.” Gin crooned, as he led his own intended on in the dance. 

“Don’t talk to me like I’m some kind of woman, even if I am in the guise of one!” Toushiro hissed back. His skin crawled where Gin’s hands held him as they moved, and he was struggling with the urge to tear away from him and bolt. 

“Dun be scared of me, ‘Shiro-chan. I won’t ‘urt ya. Promise.”

There was something unexpectedly childlike about the way the silver-haired man spoke, and it surprised Toushiro, making him turn his widened dark teal gaze up towards his fiancé’s face. Gin was actually looking back at him with eyes that gleamed intensely, ice blue in color. 

“I want ya ta like me fer who I am, ne? Is dat so ‘ard?”

Toushiro blinked, and shook his head a little, forcing himself to look away from those mesmerizing lurid blue eyes. “I-It is when the real you is an insufferable bastard who enjoys teasing everyone into oblivion.” He retorted, a little bit of irritation lacing his tone.

Gin chuckled a bit, “I like ta get a rise outta people, yeah, dat’s true . . . but dat dun mean dat it’s da real me . . . .”

~

“Looks like we’re the only ones really enjoying ourselves.” Grimmjow smirked as he glided along with his own partner, who looked stunning, to say the least. 

“With time, and a good bit of luck, they’ll all learn to at least like each other. But . . . I don’t think it would be too farfetched to think that Aizen-sama’s already besotted with his bride-to-be.” Ulquiorra answered smoothly, his emerald gaze fixed on his lord and their future queen.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. But . . . then again, you’re never wrong.” The bluenette snorted, amused.

Ulquiorra turned his gaze back up to his lover, a delicate smile on his pale lips. “Either way, thought, their problems have next to nothing to do with us. We can be happy without having to work through resentment.”

Grimmjow smiled back, and nodded. For a few minutes, they just stared at each other, going through the motions of the dance by memory. Finally Grimmjow spoke up again, “You know . . . I really missed you. Like . . . more than I can ever put into words.”

“I know . . . I felt the same, but let’s not dwell on the past separation. We’re here now, together. That’s all that matters right now, in this moment.” The black haired male murmured back, his gaze softening, expressions that were normally hidden behind a perfectly controlled mask openly visible in his jewel-like eyes.

“Yeah . . . again, you’re right.”


	10. Assholes and Astonishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The engagement ball continues, while Ichigo and Toushiro are tentatively starting to connect with their husbands-to-be, someone comes along trying to ruin their evening, the first of many, in Ichigo's case.

The older male's quiet laugh made his insides squishy. Why was he so attractive? Perhaps it was because Ichigo had forced himself to not look at anyone in his younger years with anything approaching amorously or lustfully. He had been engaged, and he still was. He would be faithful to his husband, despite the circumstances. He had been approached occasionally over the years, mostly by those who hadn't a clue as to his marital status. When he had quietly informed them of his unavailability most left him alone after that. Anyone who had pursued him after that had been dealt with by his dad. Ichigo mentally slapped himself from his thoughts as he continued to dance with his soon-to-be husband.

Sousuke, unsurprisingly, was a beautifully graceful dancer. They talked a little as they danced, mostly about getting-to-know-you type of questions. Favorite colors, foods and other such things that both were already knowledgeable of the other's tastes. But it was a formality and gave them a bit of an illusion that their meeting hadn't been tightly controlled and orchestrated.

After an almost wonderful time dancing, Sousuke had noticed that his lovely bride to be was starting to tire an asked if the other would like to have something to drink or a light snack. A small, grateful smile and a quiet "Yes, please." was his response. Aizen escorted the younger to an empty table and told Ichigo had he would be back in a short period of time. That to was responded with a small smile.

Aizen, no, Sousuke, Ichigo reflected, could be someone he might, in time, grow to like. He really hoped that the refined but gentle nature that he could get from his brief interaction with the other was not simply a mask that the other put up, like the mask that he was still holding up. Someone sat down heavily next to him, and a tired but almost hopeful sounding Toushiro murmured, ". . . He's not an utter asshole. At least, so far. How did things go with you?"

"Aizen-heika was a perfect gentleman. His laugh is beautiful and I look forward to causing more of it." Ichigo responded, a mix of the demure mask, and genuine sentiment as he spoke.

=-=-=-

Aizen was headed back towards Ichigo, and was about half way back when he noticed two things. One was that the young Seireitei general that Gin was marrying, was talking with his soon-to-be wife, in a fairly animated conversation, and the other was that he noticed Nnoitra moving towards them. His Fifth was one of his most . . . brusque generals, but he was extremely effective in what he needed to do. Sousuke just hoped at this point, that the fierce male didn't start a fight (or try to) because he was bored or something.

The tall black haired Espada leaned over the two dress-clad fiancées, grinning down at the others in a way that meant an obscene amount of potential trouble. He was about to start making his way back to the table he’d left his fiancée at, when someone bumped into him from behind. It was Gin, who had apparently been walking backwards, while chattering at several people at once. Sousuke lightly tapped the younger male's shoulder and silently nodded towards the potential scene. 

A flash of bright blue eyes were seen. "Oh, nah . . . Don' do it, Nnoitra . . . " Gin murmured softly, more than a little worried as to his bride-to-be's response to the provocation that was imminent. Both moved as swiftly as they could back over to their fiancées.

=-=-=-

_‘An asshole has appeared,’_ Ichigo noted. He was about eight feet tall, and seemed to be ever so slightly drunk, if his mannerisms and awful breath were any indication. He had been leering and blathering at both him and Toushiro for a good five minutes, trying all sorts of obvious ways to provoke them. Teasing them about their appearance, and slightly more personal things; for example, Toushiro's lack of impressive height and Ichigo's feminine name.

Such paltry insults didn't bother Ichigo in the slightest, as the man was obviously just trying to start shit, though he was beginning to get to Toushiro. _‘Time to get the asshole to leave before Toushiro starts yelling.’_ He thought. The elder had been doing so well tonight. "Aizen-heika will be coming back with something for me to drink General Jiruga. I believe I see him coming now. He will be here in a few seconds. As will General Ichimaru." The prince stated icily, using his eyes to indicate the direction.

Nnoitra froze for a moment, looking around and spotted his two ultimate superiors. Neither was very happy by his invasion on what they say as theirs, he could tell by the slight frown on Aizen-sama's face and the way Ichimaru-sama moved. Not wanting to get further on the wrong side of both powerful man, the Quinto skedaddled away from his potential prey.

"I hope that Nnoitra behaved himself." Aizen murmured quietly to his wife-to-be as he handed over the drink he had gone out to procure for the younger male.

"As much as any drunk person could, I am sure, Aizen-heika. He seemed . . . intent on gaining an emotional response from one or both of us. Why, I am unsure." Ichigo demurred, completely fine with potentially getting the Asshole into trouble. Jackass deserved it for winding up Toushiro, as the silverette was rather keyed up for good reason tonight.

"Yeah, 'e sure can be full'a shit sometimes." Gin scoffed, irritated that someone other than himself had harassed his cute little bride. "'e likes to stick 'is nose where it don’ belong. 'Specially when 'is intended targets 're attractive, and when Tesla's not 'round."

"I'll reprimand him later. Now is not an appropriate time for such things." Aizen said in a low voice, his tone implying that he really would have liked to lash out at his Fifth, right then, and there, after dragging him out of whatever hiding place he'd found for the rest of the evening. But, as he had said, a ball celebrating not only his upcoming marriage, but those of his closest friend and two of his top ranked generals was not the place punish an unruly subordinate. The man's sheer audacity never ceased to infuriate him, and if he wasn't so good at what he did, as king, Aizen would have had him executed or imprisoned a long time ago.

"'e didn't 'urt ya, did 'e, Shiro-chan?" Gin's voice was asking softly. 

Toushiro shook his head, his cheeks still flushed a bit with indignation, and slight embarrassment from the blatant concern in Gin's voice. "N-No. I'm fine." he murmured.

"Good. Cause I would'a 'unted 'im down an beat 'im inta a bloody pulp if 'e 'ad." Gin crooned, an evil smile on his face despite his sweet tone, "No one touches mah Shiro-chan without mah permission."

"Was that Nnoitra that just ran off with his tail in between his legs?" Grimmjow asked as he and Ulquiorra approached the four of them. 

"Has he done something stupid again? Hn, I bet he was drunk. That man always makes exceptionally idiotic moves when he's intoxicated." Ulquiorra added, while leaning into Grimmjow's shoulder until the larger man wrapped an arm around his hourglass waist, and pulled him a little closer.

"It wasn't anything major, he was just trying to harass me and Toushiro." Ichigo answered, eyeing Ulquiorra. Along with edicts that would prevent Aizen Sousuke from being so sinfully handsome and attractive, there should also be laws about how beautiful a man could look while wearing women's clothing. If there were such laws, Ulquiorra would be breaking all of them. The fact that he lacked noticeable breasts was the only thing that was convincing him that the dark-haired bride was, in fact, male.

Either way, had it not vitally important for Ichigo to keep up the mask he had started to develop around the age of three, he would have delighted in calling out to Zangetsu, and telling the dragon to stomp on the black haired man's back repeatedly until the dragon felt the other was going to behave himself. He really did despise people like Nnoitra. Crass and vicious, some clever enough to worm their way into positions where they were too necessary to punish fully, or like in situations like this, danced around the line between mildly improper behavior and executable offenses. _‘Who is this Tesla, and why would he or she stay with such a . . . barbaric man? Is he less . . . offensive when sober?’_ he wondered, though, somehow Ichigo doubted this, from the dark expressions on those from Hueco Mundo's faces. The teen had a hunch that his husband-to-be only grudgingly brought Nnoitra along, as otherwise something horrible might happen in Las Noches if that . . . thing were to be off his leash, tenuous as it was.

The rest of the evening went swimmingly, though occasionally Ichigo moved a bit closer than was entirely proper to Sousuke (No, he wasn't hiding behind his fiancée from lecherous drunks who didn't seem to realize that he was (1. their prince (2. to be married in less than three weeks, and (3. said future husband was only about four feet away). He just didn't deal well with that sort of attention. And the polite but growly tone that Sousuke had used to chase off the would-be suitors was entirely too appealing. Damn him. Ichigo found that he was becoming more relaxed around the brunette's presence, though he was still extremely wary about the man’s true intentions. 

There was one incident however that had Ichigo where he currently was, which was hiding in a corner in second hand embarrassment and a lot of irritation. One of the most powerful nobles of Karakura, a blond named Kisuke Urahara, and a happily married man, had gotten spectacularly drunk, and had called Ulquiorra a 'pretty little lady' before pressing a fatherly kiss to the slender black haired male's forehead and wandering off to pass out in a corner. That man had been one of his physical combat teachers, as well as strategy. Someone whom he was going to introduce his husband to. Not anymore however and the drunken idiot was now searching for "The cute little berry-boy", and that usually entailed a very humiliating hug and sobbing wailing about how adorable Ichigo was as a child, and telling every childhood blunder and "adorable misadventure" he had to anyone who would listen. At the top of his lungs.

Someone touched the tense and scrunched up teenager's shoulder, causing him to yelp a little in surprise and look to see who the hell had managed to find him. In this particular nook of the ballroom, few would take notice of it, much less think that someone would hide here. Ichigo blinked at the person in utter surprise, as he had not thought that this person would be able to find him so quickly in his home.


	11. Tender Promises and Quiet Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ball is winding down, and after the initial shock of being found, Ichigo learns some new things about his fiancé, and Toushiro lets something happen that he never thought he would before.

“Ichigo-denka? Are you finished hiding from Urahara-san? His wife came and dragged him out a little while ago.” Aizen asked in a voice light with amusement and endearment. “Shihouin-san is certainly a . . . powerful woman.”

Ichigo stared up at his intended. “H-How did you find me here?”

Aizen tilted his head to the side a bit, “I asked Kyouka Suigetsu to help me find you. But I already knew the general area of where you were.” He replied casually.

“How did . . . your dragon help . . . ? She’s out in the dragon keep with the other dragons right now . . . isn’t she?”

“Yes, she is, but that doesn’t mean that she’s out of range. Her illusions have eyes, Ichigo-denka. She just had a few shadows look through this room without anyone noticing. One of her shadows found you, and she told me where you were.”

"That... That's quite a talent Aizen-heika." Ichigo murmured, not entirely sure what else to say that wasn't something that could potential turn into a panicking fit of some kind. The other was dangerously charming and kind and very, very powerful, with an equally dangerous and powerful dragon to match. He was glad whatever spell had been cast over him at the beginning of the evening.

"Indeed it is. How exactly is it that you know Urahara-san well enough to hide from him?" The brown haired king asked, while sighing internally. It was back to stiff formalities apparently. He had been hoping that the younger male wouldn't be so skittish and mistrustful once they had interacted with one another. It seemed to have worked, at least while they had been talking and interacting heavily with one another. 

"He was one of my combat and strategy instructors. He's been teaching me things since I was very little. Shihouin-san as well, in hand-to-hand combat." The orangette responded quietly. "He is usually more refined at such functions... I've never seen him that drunk before." Ichigo was genuinely flummoxed as to why the hell Urahara would get that drunk at such a high profile event. 

The brown haired king could not even begin to guess what it would have been like to have been forced to be at the not-so-tender mercies of those two. It was a miracle that his fiancée was still sane. "Ah, my sincerest condolences. That must have been very difficult to go through."

Ichigo grimaced as he remembered the first few years of sword 'training' with Urahara. If running and slashing at the elder for his life for hours until he dropped of either exhaustion, blood loss or both would count as training. But he had learned pretty damn quickly how to block and attack with a weapon, and learned that 'dirty' tricks were simply what some swordsmen used in order to keep their skins, if not fully intact, alive.

And he had first met Yoruichi when she was in her animal form. She had taken great pleasure in disabusing him by switching forms directly in front of him while claiming that she couldn't change (and she still stuck to that line) with clothes on, as they would fall off in cat form, and clothes for a cat was just ridiculous. Besides, she would shred the clothes as she turned back into human form and they wouldn't cover anything anyways. "It was a bit of a trial to understand the method of training. But it has made me the warrior I am today, and I am very grateful taht they took the time to teach me well."

"May I escort you back to your room? It seems to be quite late, and while I am unsure if you feel similarly, Ichigo-denka, I am rather worn from today’s activities. Though, it was an absolutely divine pleasure dancing and speaking with you. I hope that we will dance soon again, before our wedding." Sousuke responded truthfully, a warm, gentle smile appearing on his face as he extended a hand to the younger male.

This time a light dusting of pink really did appear on his face and Ichigo nodded timidly "That would be more than acceptable, Aizen-heika. I would be honored if you did so." The orangette took hold of the elder's larger hand, getting up from his scrunched up position.

The smile broadened on Aizen's face as the two walked, still hand in hand, out of the ballroom. The younger's slender hand warm in his.

~

Toushiro had a better than he had hoped evening. Barely. Gin had still teased him, but the almost innocent childishness that surrounded the older silverette fascinated the teenager to no end. Then there was a drunk, blond moron who was messing with the Espada (may whatever that man believed in spare him from Aizen's . . . or Grimmjow's wrath) before babbling incoherently about strawberries. What a weirdo. But Ichigo seemed to have vanished to who-knew where.

At least the strange blonde man had been taken away by a less-than-impressed dark-skinned, violet haired woman, who had grabbed her . . . husband, he guessed, by the ear and had dragged him out of the ballroom, ignoring his protests and complaints.

The crowd was calming down now, as it was getting pretty late into the night, and slowly, couples and parties were trickling off and leaving. Rukia had found interest in two Karakuran girls, who apparently were friends with Ichigo. Byakuya had danced with some of the lords’ daughters for a while, before striking up a conversation with Kurosaki Masaki, the Queen of Karakura. Ikkaku kept to himself, as usual, while Yumichika flitted about the room, soon gathering a small crowd of girls about him through both his appearance and his talk of aesthetics and beauty. They all seemed to be more or less enjoying themselves.

“Ne, ‘Shiro-chan.” Gin’s voice called him quietly from nearby. 

Toushiro turned, expecting another obnoxious comment about how ‘cute’ or ‘pretty’ he was, or some other harmless, but irritating jab about something. What he was not expecting, was Gin’s hand to be outstretched towards him, his long fingers delicately grasping the thin stem of a single white rose, just about ready to bloom, all the thorns carefully removed. It was offered, almost shyly on Gin’s part, and with a moment’s hesitation, Toushiro reached out and took hold of the flower.

Gin didn’t immediately let go, but hung onto the stem for a few seconds, before pulling his hand back. “It’s almost time fer ya ta go ‘ome. Da next time I see ya . . . will be at Aizen-sama’s weddin’ in ‘bout two weeks. If . . . if dere’s still a petal on dat flower when ya come back . . . then ya can make a wish. And . . . and I’ll do mah best ta grant it. Ne?”

With that unexpectedly sweet gesture, Toushiro, being taken completely off-guard, smiled a little at his far too playful husband-to-be. "I shall take care of it well." The immediate wish that had sprung to his mind, had not been the one he had been expecting, which was to not be married to Gin, but rather that the other stop pretending around him. That, the young general realized with a startled blink, was what had really bothered him about the older silverette. The next few words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them... though if he wanted them to be stopped was another matter entirely. "Would you like to walk me . . . to my room ?"

A wide, genuine grin appeared on the older general's face "Ah ‘course. I would love ta esco't mah beautiful wife-ta-be ta ‘is quarters." A sliver of ice-colored eyes was seen by the younger silverette, that was enough to stem the irritation of being complimented in a feminine manner. Then his dress swished around him and he gave up hope on that, at least while he wore this damn thing. At least he looked good in the blasted thing.

It had been Toushiro who had let his fingers brush against the tips of the elder's. It could have been seen as an accidental thing, as they were walking side by side and talking fairly comfortably. The response was a few longer fingers entangling with his own, causing both of the two affianced males to smile at one another briefly. Once at the door of his temporary room, Toushiro, in a burst of boldness, lightly kissed Gin's cheek before scurrying into his room and closing the door.


	12. Confused Emotions and Family Outtings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uryuu takes matters in to his own hands until something rips it all away, and Ichigo can't do anything but watch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S BEEN TOO LONG, I KNOW. I'M VERY SORRY. I AM TRASH AND POST AT THE SPEED OF FROZEN MOLASSES.
> 
> *bows low* Again, I am very sorry. Had to go dig up my original draft from the abyss and sit there and work on it for six hours. I'm really... really... really sleepy right now.
> 
> That being said, I REALLY HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CHAPTER.
> 
> PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE COMMENT. COMMENTS ARE MY FAVORITE.

Morning came and went quickly, and many of the previous night’s partygoers woke to pulsing headaches and mild photosensitivity. 

"Kurosaki-denka! Get your ass out of bed!" a familiar voice was yelling from nearby. 

Ichigo frowned and rolled over in his bed, pulling a pillow over his head. "Go away, Uryuu." he mumbled. 

"Kojaku." was all Ishida said, and Ichigo's still-mostly-asleep brain didn't process the threat until just before he was abruptly shoved out of his bed by something large and heavy. He crashed onto the floor with a surprised yell, and quickly untangled himself from the blankets. "What the hell, Ishida?!"

Uryuu smiled thinly at him, his gloved hand rubbing the long flank of the giant white wolf that trotted back to his side to take a seat beside the dark haired Quincy. "You weren't fast enough, Kurosaki-denka. Kojaku was merely speeding things along." 

The wolf, Kojaku, was not as large as a dragon, but still a bit bigger than a full grown tiger, his shoulders matching Ishida’s chest height. He was a special kind of wolf that all Quincys, like Uryuu, had as companions and mounts occasionally. Every Quincy child was given a pup on the day they turned three, and they grew up together, never more apart than a dragon and his bonded partner. Their personalities often mimicked each other’s as well, which was probably why Kojaku, with his white fur and neon blue eyes, looked so damn smug.

"That doesn't mean you have permission to let that fleabag of yours shove me out of my bed!" Ichigo retorted hotly, rising to his feet as Zangetsu came up behind him, having uncurled himself from the large padded depression in one corner of the room that was his nest. To his slight mortification, the dragon was radiating amusement, as if he were entertained by the spectacle. 

Ishida frowned, "Kojaku is not a fleabag, Kurosaki-denka. And if you haven't already noticed, it's almost noon. You've slept long enough."

"Really? Holy shi-....” the orange haired prince scowled, “Cut me some slack, Uryuu. You weren't at the party as long as I was, and I had to stay for the whole damn thing. It ended at midnight at the earliest. I don’t think I got to bed until three at least." Ichigo grumbled, rubbing his eyes sleepily and remembered the evening. 

After being scared half to death by his husband-to-be in regards to his powers, he and Sousuke continued to dance and talk. Surprisingly, they almost had a pleasant conversation... if not for the fact that in just a few weeks’ time, they were to marry due to the brunette's ambition was looming over him. Ichigo's eyes danced around, looking for shadows. Luckily there were none to be watched from. "I found out something interesting about Aizen-heika's dragon. She has powers to search for people through shadows, without being physically there. Her illusions have eyes, as Aizen-heika put it."

...Well that was just peachy, wasn't it? 

If she could search, did that meant that she could listen in on conversations? Uryuu didn't know and made a mental note to mind what he said, and to warn his friends in a very well lit area, about that little tidbit. He wouldn’t put it past the manipulative bastard to spy on Ichigo, and by extension, he as well as their companions now that he no longer had Grimmjow on the inside. "None of us were able to get anywhere near you last night... How did it go?"

"Aizen-heika is a very clever, and rather charming person. He is very loquacious as well, from the little that I have interacted with him. He is also a stupidly phenomenal dancer." Ichigo responded, in formal mode. 

Uryuu briefly wondered why, but figured that either Ichigo did not want to go off on a long drawn out speal about his deepest thoughts and concerns, so he was keeping it tightly under control, besides, there was something that was bothering him. "I hear rumors that you and Aizen-heika left the party together, hand in hand." The Quincy replied quietly.

"That we did...” Ichigo admitted stiffly, “Aizen-heika wished to and I had no objections to the simple wish. He walked me to the door to my private rooms and we said our goodbyes. That’s all." The orangette murmured, and something that approached a smile appeared on his face, though the expression did not convey any sort of happiness. Rather, it looked as though he was afraid. The teen looked down at his hands "He terrifies me, Uryuu... I...He's nothing at all like what I had expected, what I had prepared him to be like. At least right now... It’s really throwing me off. It makes it hard to counter him."

"Well . . ." Uryuu replied slowly, trying not to add to Ichigo’s worries by snorting out what he really thought, the Prince was stressed enough as it was, and as much as he hated it, this was a reality that was going to happen weither he liked it or not, "Grimmjow did say that he was nothing like what the rumors described him as . . . at least not when dealing with allies or non-threats . . . . Perhaps we should have paid a little more heed to his words . . . ?" Truth be told, the brunet King’s behavior was perplexing to him as well. 

"Maybe . . . but we can't forget that Aizen-heika is also Grimmjow's boss . . . he could have been instructed to say those things." Ichigo retorted, his voice soft and uncertain.

"Who knows. Though . . . I have to say, that, knowing Grimmjow, he told you those things because he wanted to help you. If he was lying . . . then he was doing it with good intentions." the black-blue haired archer retorted.

Ichigo shrugged, not really knowing what to say. 

Uryuu shook his head sharply to dispel his dark thoughts. "Enough of this. I came here for a reason. You and I are going out for a hunt. I've cleared it with Isshin-heika, and Masaki-heika, so you don't have anything to do until this evening. So get dressed already!"

Zangetsu let out a low purring sound, eagerness and pleasure flowing across their mental link, making Ichigo smile involuntarily. He brightened at the idea of getting out of the palace, where all his problems seemed to linger, and getting himself lost in the dark, lush woods around Karakura Palace with his cousin, and his dragon. 

"Alright!" he said, already heading over to his wardrobe, pulling off his shirt. "Hey… Uryuu?"

"What is it, Kurosaki-denka?"

"What do you think of Ulquiorra?"

"He is quiet, but forthright, capable and intelligent. Intimidating in a lot of ways, but so is Aizen-heika, I guess. I heard talk of him being the one who was ruling the capitol city of Las Noches while the king was ‘absent’, so he must be efficient, to say the least. Why do you ask?" Uryuu responded curiously, eyeing the screen his cousin had disappeared behind as he changed

"He came to me the night before last, and begged me to listen to him. He asked me to forgive Grimmjow for lying to us about who he was, that he had been ordered to watch over me, but had accidentally bumped into me, and had genuinely become my friend. He's about the only one of the Espada who hasn't tried to affect my judgment about Aizen.” He was scowling now, as he pulled up a pair of close fitting, thought soft leather breeches, suitable for hunting and riding a dragon, “Several of them went flying with me several days ago and they were telling about how flawless their boss was, and how I really should be grateful that I have the ‘honor’ of marrying him, so on and so forth. It was so aggravating... But they do seem to care about him... Or think that if they stuff enough shit down my throat, I might not kill him in his sleep.” He scoffed at his own words, tugging on his boots, “Like I would anyways, as chaos and hellfire would rain down on Karakura if I even so much as joked about it around those zealots. Not that I would do such things. Murder is not something I would do... unless I was forced into it, left no other choice….” Ichigo responded as he walked back towards , before smiling a tad self-deprecatingly and apologizing, “Sorry. I’m ready now. A hunt would be glorious. I haven't been out of the castle since that flight. We should go before we’re missed by anyone.”

The two moved swiftly through the castle, ensuring that none of the Hueco Mundo people spotted them, so that no one would try to come with them and ruin a likely lovely hunt/romp through the surrounding forests. Uryuu, like every Quincy, even if his father had taken him away from their ancestral lands when he was a child, was a master archer. He could hit a bull’s-eye even while riding on Kojaku. He took down prey, and Kojaku would either devour it himself, or toss it to Zangetsu. Despite their outward disagreements, the wolf and the dragon were good friends, and the same could be said of their partners. After a good few hours of hunting, they settled down in a quiet, secluded glade where a cool breeze was gently sweeping through the trees.

"Continuing the discussion from earlier, what do you think of Aizen, now that you've met him?" Ichigo asked curiously, blinking at the other as they watched Zangetsu soar off and Kojaku run joyfully around, and bound over a couple fallen logs.

When Ichigo asked that particular question, Uryuu's eyes narrowed, and he looked down at the ground, thinking long and hard about his answer. "Aizen is...” he started, pausing to form the words “from what I've been able to gather... very capable, much like most of his upper echelon. As a king, he's brilliant, almost perfectly suited to rule... but as a man ... I don't know what to think of him. As far as I've been able to tell, it depends on what he thinks of a person, as to how he treats them. Those he views as allies, he treats with cool politeness and fluid respect. His enemies receive his cruelty and his vicious intelligence. He doesn't have many friends, but he has thousands of adoring followers. The Espada look at him like he's some sort of god, and his servants all speak highly of him. But in terms of this marriage, and if he's good for you or not... I have no idea. My opinions are mostly based off rumor and conjecture"

"Thanks for telling me, Uryuu... I've been pushed around verbally since he got here, especially by the Espada, about how amazing their king is, and how that I should trust and love or at least care for him in any way that I can... Well... That's the feeling that I get from what they've been talking to me... He's charming, I'll give him that... But I know well just how terrifying and vicious he can be to his enemies and on the battlefield... And such darkness cannot be simply recalled and hidden at a moment's notice, but is an intrinsic part of one's personality..." The bright haired teen murmured.

The darker haired male sighed, “It’s really weird for me to think that in a few weeks, you’ll be married to that man and living in Hueco Mundo. It’s all just… sudden for me, and Inoue, and Sado… but you… you’ve known all along. If I had known, I wouldn’t have teased you so much about your weird habits and your fits of seemingly inexplicable anxiety and stopped chalking it up to puberty….”

Ichigo laughed a little, “I couldn’t bring myself to come out and just say it, so I kept it all buried inside and ended up causing a ruckus a couple of times, or almost internally combusting because of stress. But, regardless, I’m really glad you and Inoue and Sado were there with me, even if you didn’t know what was going on.”

“Where else were we going to be?” the black/blue haired male with the soft blue eyes asked incredulously.

“I don’t know, you dork. That statement what rhetorical.” Ichigo retorted.

“I do believe you’re using the word rhetorical in the wrong context.” Uryuu smirked.

Ichigo threw a clump of moss at his cousin, “Shut up, smart-ass.”

Uryuu batted the moss aside and got to his feet, brushing the bits of leaves and remaining dirt from his white leather hunting clothes, “And once again, I say, let’s put all of that on hold, and get a few more hours of hunting in before we have to get home.”

Ichigo gave his characteristic grin, “Let’s.” he agreed.

~

The two boys arrived back at Karakura palace when sunset was just beginning. They slipped into the smaller eastern gate at the back of the castle, wanting to avoid as much attention as possible. They chatted casually back and forth, as they evaded servants and guards alike to the best of their ability. They’d managed to get back into the residential wing without too much trouble.

“Uryuu, we need to talk.” 

Uryuu’s sapphire colored eyes narrowed as the icily familiar voice of his sire washed over him, his spine straightening out of habit, his shoulders tensing. “Father.” He acknowledged, just a breath of the word leaving his lips. Beside him, Kojaku’s hackles raised and a deep rumbling growl escaping the beast, showing of his intense dislike for his bonded’s parent that mirrored Uryuu’s own loathing.

“Ryuuken-ojisan…” Ichigo said, sensing that whatever was about to unfold between his cousin and uncle would not be good, and wanting to spare Uryuu from it if he could.

“I believe my sister and your father are waiting for you in the south drawing room, Ichigo-denka,” the white haired man’s tone was no less cold as he spoke to his nephew, than it had been when he was speaking with his son, firmly shutting Ichigo down before he could get a firm grasp on the situation. “I believe they wanted to talk to you about something important before dinner with Aizen-heika.”

“Uryuu….” Ichigo called softly, mild worry shimmering in his eyes. He didn’t get along well with his uncle, but he was rarely ever this frigid and hard.

“Just go. I can take care of myself.” Uryuu hissed back, his gaze never leaving the somewhat imposing form of his father, who stared impassively back at him, Kojaku’s threatening growls having no effect on him.

Ichigo, still concerned, but knowing neither his uncle, nor his cousin were going to back down, quietly took his leave, with Zangetsu nudging his back with his muzzle to keep him going. _‘Leave them. You’ll only get caught in the crossfire. You know this.’_

 _“But… I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ryuuken-ojisan look like that before. His expression… I don’t know. I don’t like it.”_ Ichigo protested, though he let the vermillion and jet colored drake continue to prod him onwards, staring back over his shoulder down the hallway they’d come down.

_‘Then inform your mother. You know she’s the only one who can put the fear of the gods in your uncle, and that she is more or less your cousin’s surrogate mother. He’s as much her son as he is Ryuuken’s, even if he is merely her nephew.’_

_“Yeah. I guess you’re right. They probably wanna grill me some more about Aizen and he retinue, anyways. Gods… well, I hope Uryuu’s okay.”_

_‘Don’t worry too much. Uryuu is a strong boy, he’ll be fine.’_

~

“So, what’s so important that you had to separate me from Ichigo for it?” Uryuu snapped, curling the fingers of one hand into Kojaku’s white fur, both to keep the canine at bay, and to prevent himself from lashing out at the pale haired man standing just a few feet away.

“You should start getting used to his absence, else you’re going to get even more pathetic when he leaves Karakura for good.” Ryuuken replied dryly, ignoring his son’s question.

“Would you just get to the damn point? I’m sure you have better things to do than patronize me all day.”

“Yes, I do have better things to do, but I thought it was only fair that I inform you of recent… developments that you are involved in, though you had no knowing part in them. But, ignorant or not, it will not change what needs to happen to solidify the peace of between the three nations.”

“…What are you talking about?” a certain sense of dread filled him. His father wasn’t smugly scornful as he usually was, just steely and cold, and it was beginning to scare him.

Ryuuken spoke evenly, without a hint of his real emotions crossing his face, “In one month’s time, there will be a wedding, one that will take place after those of Hitsugaya Toushiro and Ichigo-denka. This is to be the wedding of Kuchiki Byakuya, one of the most prominent generals and highest ranking ministers in the Seireitei Empire. Everything has already been arranged, all that’s missing… is you.”

“M… Me…?” he could barely get his voice to come out, hoping, begging with every fiber of his being that what his father was about to say wasn’t what he feared it was.

“Yes, you. The bride. In one month, you are going to marry Lord Kuchiki Byakuya, for the good of Karakura and its people. You have no right to refuse, no right to protest. So prepare yourself, Uryuu.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ah. While I'm thinking about it, I'll take this opportunity to remind/inform everyone of a few important things.
> 
> Heika- "Your Majesty" can be applied to both genders, and when used while attached to a name "Your Majesty/King/Queen So-and-So"  
> Denka- "Your Highness/Prince" or, when used attached to a name, "Your Highness/Prince Ichigo", and, if I remember correctly, it's a title reserved for the Crown Prince.  
> Hime- While I don't think I've used this one yet, it means "Princess", so, if someone were addressing Karin or Yuzu, they'd probably say "Karin-hime" or "Yuzu-hime"  
> Joo Heika- "Her Majesty, the Queen"
> 
> Okaaaaaay? Everyone got it? . . . Good! Any other questions, feel free to ask~!


End file.
